The Graduate
by Webb, Charles
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Near Fine/Good
- Seller
-
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
Charles Webb's The Graduate, published in 1963, was a success for the young American writer, a sly and provocative first novel that is often forgotten in the shadow of Mike Nichols' sensational 1967 film and, more recently, an attention-grabbing stage adaptation in London with Kathleen Turner, then Jerry Hall as Mrs. Robinson. Among other things, Webb's novel is a book of its time, written when young Americans were beginning to question, for the first time, the materialistic values that the postwar culture had taught them. Its hero is worldly yet naive, but that won't last for long.The novel dramatizes the post-graduate blues of Benjamin Braddock, an appealing young man of great promise who would seem to have everything going for him. Returning to his parents' home after graduation to ponder his future in the real world, he is depressed. The only thing that rallies him is the attention of Mrs. Robinson, the bored but attractive wife of his father's law partner. Mrs. Robinson makes a play for Benjamin, and he responds. Their affair is far from passionate but it is intense. It continues until Benjamin rediscovers the Robinsons' beautiful daughter Elaine. He falls in love with her but Mrs. Robinson, in a jealous rage, destroys the relationship by telling her daughter of her affair with Benjamin. He is undeterred, following Elaine and forcing her to acknowledge him even as she prepares to marry someone else. For the first time, it seems, Benjamin knows what he wants, and he pursues her right to the altar.The Graduate, for all its crackling humor and addled romance, is also a scathing look at how vacuous and materialistic middle-class American life had become in the middle of the 20th century. What Benjamin does not want to be, it seems, is what is all around him -- his parents, their friends, their things, their values. He is a fascinating character, an attractive young man who seems to be unconnected to his own generation, a carefully tended boy who wants to become a man but does not know how. The wry insight of Webb's The Graduate makes Benjamin Braddock an archetype for a whole generation, a latter-day Holden Caulfield. The Chicago Tribune hailed Webb as "a highly gifted and accomplished writer," and Saturday Review wrote that The Graduate "moves with the speed and drive of a runaway locomotive."
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Details
- Seller
- Minotavros Books (CA)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 005192
- Title
- The Graduate
- Author
- Webb, Charles
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Book Club (BCE/BOMC)
- Publisher
- The New American Library
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1963
- Keywords
- Charles Webb, the Graduate, Fiction, Novel
- Bookseller catalogs
- Fiction;
Terms of Sale
Minotavros Books
All prices listed in Canadian dollars. We guarantee that all items are properly packaged and handled with care. Please allow one to two business days for your order to be shipped. Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required. All sales will be shipped with a tracking number for your convenience.
About the Seller
Minotavros Books
About Minotavros Books
We are located at 10 Sunray St., Suite 4, Whitby, Ontario, across from Landmark Cinema's 24.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- A.N.
- The book is pristine and free of any defects, in the same condition as ...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Book Club Edition
- A generic term denoting a book which was produced or distributed by one of any number of book club organizations. Usually the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Tail
- The heel of the spine.
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...