The City and the Pillar

Gore Vidal

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homosexuality depiction

struggles of gay males

emotional and psychological aspects

journey to self acceptance

character growth

identity exploration

realistic portrayal of romance

american locales and social contexts

spare and lean writing style

clarity and realism in writing

measured pacing

focus on past romantic encounters

complex characters

navigating sexual identity

Composed when he was in his early 20s, Gore Vidal's 'The City and the Pillar' published in 1948, was one of the first American novels overtly about homosexuality. The plot follows the protagonist, Jim Willard, as he embarks on a journey to find his lost love, Bob Ford, after a weekend tryst in their youth. The story portrays Jim's growth from a 17-year-old teen to a 24-year-old adult, realistically showcasing the struggles of gay males in fitting sex and romance into their identities. The writing style is described as spare, lean, and direct, mirroring the protagonist, Jim.

Characters:

The characters, especially Jim, serve as vessels for exploring the themes of identity and desire, with varying degrees of depth and complexity.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is straightforward and concise, with a focus on clarity and realism.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on Jim's journey as he navigates his sexual identity and personal relationships, focusing on his fixation with a past romantic encounter.

Setting:

The setting reflects a diverse range of American locales and social contexts during the late 1940s, providing a backdrop for the character's struggles.

Pacing:

The pacing is measured, providing a thorough exploration of Jim's journey without unnecessary haste.

He sat alone in a booth, listening to the music which came out of a red plastic box, lighted within. Some of the music he remembered from having heard it in other places. But the words he could no lon...

Notes:

The City and the Pillar was published in 1948 and is one of the first modern gay novels.

The protagonist, Jim Willard, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance of his homosexuality.

Jim's character is described as an 'empty vessel' by the author, representing youth and rugged looks rather than depth.

The book explores Jim's relationships with men, but he never has sex with a woman after one failed attempt.

Gore Vidal's writing in the book is noted for being breezy and straightforward without excessive embellishment.

The narrative follows Jim's life from age 17 to 24, highlighting his growth and experiences as a gay man in the 1940s.

The story includes a satirical view of Hollywood and New York's gay underground scenes.

One of the main motifs is Jim's obsession with a past weekend of intimacy with a high school friend named Bob.

Thomas Mann praised the book for its metaphorical descriptions of sex, calling it 'glorious'.

The original ending of the book was more violent, featuring a tragic confrontation between Jim and Bob, but was revised in later editions.

Vidal himself had an unconsummated romance with Anaïs Nin, hinting at experiences that influenced characters in the novel.

The book deals with themes of unfulfilled desire and the struggle for identity, common among gay males at the time.

The City and the Pillar challenges the stigma associated with homosexuality and presents the protagonist as a complex human character.

The book is noted for being surprisingly modern for its time, avoiding moralization of gay relationships.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book contains content warnings related to themes of homosexual relationships, potential violence in relationships, existential themes, and societal rejection.

Has Romance?

The book contains elements of romance, largely focusing on Jim's emotional and sexual relationships with other men.

From The Publisher:

A literary cause célèbre when first published more than fifty years ago, Gore Vidal's now-classic The City and the Pillar stands as a landmark novel of the gay experience. Jim, a handsome, all-American athlete, has always been shy around girls. But when he and his best friend, Bob, partake in "awful kid stuff," the experience forms Jim's ideal of spiritual completion. Defying his parents' expectations, Jim strikes out on his own, hoping to find Bob and rekindle their amorous friendship. Along the way he struggles with what he feels is his unique bond with Bob and with his persistent attraction to other men. Upon finally encountering Bob years later, the force of his hopes for a life together leads to a devastating climax. The first novel of its kind to appear on the American literary landscape, The City and the Pillar remains a forthright and uncompromising portrayal of sexual relationships between men.

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About the Author:

Gore Vidal was born in 1925 at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His first novel, Williwaw , written when he was nineteen years old and serving in the Army, appeared in the spring of 1946. Since then he has written twenty-three novels, five plays, many screenplays, short stories, well over two hundred essays, and a memoir.

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