Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Abstract
This work is set in Iowa. The time is the summer of 1967. The town in which most of the action takes place is Thursten, a small, rural community in the western part of the state. Longridge Paha Hunter, the main character, is a young, uneducated man, destined to die a violent death. Since the story centers on him and his similarity to his great-grandfather, Old Man Hunter, he is ever-present. As Longridge struggles to develop a sense of pride in a hostile world, he must realize the haunting presence of his great-grandfather. When he finally does, something of himself, his great-grandfather, and the world which destroys them both, he achieves some freedom in a society that must punish him. The story is Long's, but the point-of-view is basically the omniscient-author. Since flashbacks are used to complete a merging of Longridge and Old Man Hunter in the mind of the young man, the story occasionally shifts in time and place as well as in point-of-view. The minor characters, then, are developed in reference to Longridge and his struggle to find himself. Rona Hunter, Long's younger sister, and Frank Leslie are counterparts to the young man; they, too, a.re outcasts. The plot is Longridge attaining an understanding of the world which dominates him. In fact, as the novel comes to a conclusion and Longridge successfully moves into a "shadow world 11 in which he may study his great-grandfather (thus his heritage), the action is minor. Longridge's sense of self is achieved as he withdraws from the real world and seeks an understanding in what would be considered insanity by the society which made him seek such a sanctuary.
Year of Submission
1971
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of English Language and Literature
First Advisor
James Hearst
Second Advisor
Keith McKean
Third Advisor
Charles Patten
Date Original
1971
Object Description
1 PDF file (8 leaves)
Copyright
©1971 Ted H. Christensen
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Christensen, Ted H., "Longridge: A Novel" (1971). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2348.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2348
Comments
The creative work referenced in this graduate thesis, consisting of pages 1-226, currently is not being made available in electronic format through UNI ScholarWorks.
If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.