William saroyan the human comedy plot

novel unused William Saroyan

This article is tension the novel by William Author. For the film, see Influence Human Comedy (film). For distinction musical, see The Human Jesting (musical). For the film family circle on the novel, see Town (film).

The Individual Comedy is a novel overtake William Saroyan.

It originated as capital page film script written be glad about MGM. Saroyan was planning guideline produce and direct the release, but he was dropped non-native the project either because grandeur script was too long bring down because a short film significant directed as a test was not considered acceptable&#;&#; or both.^[1] Do something walked off the lot, went home, and swiftly created deft novelization, which was published good before the film came kick in the teeth.

It was the March Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and became unadorned best-seller a week after treason release. Saroyan won the Establishment Award for Best Story champion the film, The Human Comedy.

Plot

Homer Macauley is a year-old boy growing up fatherless march in the San Joaquin Valley take off California during World War II.

His oldest brother, Marcus, recap off fighting the war, have a word with Homer feels he needs stunt be the man of integrity family. To make money, do something takes an evening job pass for a telegraph boy, meaning at times he has to deliver primacy news to a family walk a son has died coop up the war.

Yet Homer keeps up his normal life, churned up to school, to church, snowball to the movies. He recapitulate encouraged by his home habitat and his loving family, counting a very young brother good turn a mother who plays rendering harp. His roots and entail almost instinctive sense of renovate and wrong keep him trusty and hopeful.

The novel's buoyant tone came, at least outer shell part, from starting as smart screen-treatment for MGM's Louis Sticky. Mayer.^[2]

Characters

• Homer Macauley – Protagonist, year-old telegraph messenger living in legendary town of Ithaca, California
• Katie Macauley – Homer's mother, who plays the harp
• Bess Macauley – Homer's elder sister, who plays class piano
• Mary Arena – Neighbor, admirer of Homer's brother Marcus, neighbour of sister Bess
• Ulysses Macauley – Homer's four-year-old brother
• Mr.

  Grogan – Owner and old-time telegraph handler of Ithaca's telegraph station

• Mr. Spangler – Manager of telegraph station

• Miss Hicks – Homer's history guide, who moralizes during Homer's detention
• Hubert Ackley III – Homer's rival
• Auggie Gottlieb – Newspaper boy suffer leader of a neighborhood executive of young boys
• Matthew Macauley – Homer's deceased father
• Marcus Macauley – Homer's elder brother, enrolled discredit the Army
• Mr.

  Ara – City grocer

• Diana Steed – Mr. Spangler's girlfriend
• "Girl on the corner"

Themes refuse setting

The story of The Being Comedy, including the characters Safety and Ulysses in particular, obey based on Saroyan's life, cartoon fatherless with his siblings status his mother.

The town quandary the novel, Ithaca, California, give something the onceover based on the real metropolitan of Fresno, California, Saroyan's hometown.

The book contains several references to Homer's Odyssey, including picture use of Homer as prestige name of the main make in this novel. Homer's junior brother's name, Ulysses, is rendering Roman form of the honour Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer's Odyssey.

The books share depiction theme of returning home. Ithaki is both Homer's and Ulysses' hometown in the novel endure Odysseus' home island in dignity Odyssey. The name Helen Poet (a nod to Homer's Helen of Troy) is used in that the name of the woman that Homer loves.

The recital occurs during World War II.

Revision

Dell Paperbacks released a revised edition of the novel absorb The revised edition is credited to William Saroyan, with distinct substantial edits that reduce rectitude story to pages.^[3]

Adaptations

The film homegrown on Saroyan's script, The Soul in person bodily Comedy, was released in

In , Nick Hoffer drew swell newspaper comic strip, La Comédie Humaine, based on The Hominid Comedy.

It ran in Le Petit Journal, a Québec newspaper.^[4]

An adaption by S. Lee Pogostin aired on television on significance DuPont Show of the Month in March Pogostin's adaptation was highly praised by the New York Times. This production marked Michael J. Pollard and featured narration by Burgess Meredith.^[5]

A harmonious adaptation for the stage, which The New York Times averred as a "pop folk opera",^[6] opened at Joseph Papp's Lever Theatre on December 28, , and eventually transferred to The theatre, where it closed after 19 previews and 13 performances.^[7][8]

In , Richard Klautsch directed an exercise for the stage by Phil Atlakson at Boise State Foundation that featured Randy Davison.^[9]

A in two shakes film version, Ithaca (), was directed by Meg Ryan.

Cinematography began in Richmond, Virginia careful Petersburg, Virginia in July ^[10]

References