The Damnation of Theron Ware
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Damnation of Theron Ware (published in England as Illumination) is an 1896 novel by American author Harold Frederic. It is widely considered a classic of American literature by scholars and writers although not as widely known or read popularly.[1]
[edit] Plot
The novel centers on the life of a Methodist pastor named Theron Ware who has recently moved to a fictional small town in the Adirondack Mountains of up-state New York, which Frederic modeled after Utica, New York. A promising young pastor recently married, Theron has a number of experiences which cause him to begin to question the Methodist religion, his role as a priest and even the very existence of God. His moral decline (or illumination) are heightened through his dealings with Father Forbes, the town's Catholic priest; Dr. Ledsmar, a local atheist, philosopher and man of science; and Celia, a local Irish Catholic girl whom Theron is attracted to. In the end the reader is left to wonder if Theron was illuminated and became a better person, or "back-sliden" and "degenerated".
[edit] Notes
- ^ Stanton Garner, Charlyne Dodge editors, Harold Frederic: The Damnation of Theron Ware or Illumination. University of Nebraska Press, 1985. ISBN 0803219678
[edit] External links
Editions
- The Damnation of Theron Ware, via Project Gutenberg.
- The Damnation of Theron Ware, sixth edition December, 1896. Stone & Kimball, via Internet Archive.
Resources
- "A Study Guide with Annotated Bibliography, created by Robin Taylor Rogers at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa.
- "In 'Theron Ware,' Realism Wears Well", by Jonathan Yardley, in The Washington Post, November 27, 2006; Page C01
- "By whose authority? Point of view in the first chapter of Harold Frederic's 'The Damnation of Theron Ware.'", by Paul Eggers in Style[1], Spring 1997.
- "Damnation!", by Tom Benton in Book Source Magazine.
