The Centaur
E472147
The Centaur is a 1963 novel by John Updike that blends small-town American life with Greek mythology to explore themes of sacrifice, family, and human frailty.
Statements (44)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | novel ⓘ |
| author | John Updike NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| awarded | National Book Award for Fiction NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| awardYear | 1964 National Book Award for Fiction NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characterAsMythologicalFigure |
George Caldwell as Chiron
ⓘ
Peter Caldwell as Prometheus-like figure ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| criticalReception | generally positive ⓘ |
| explores |
guilt and redemption
ⓘ
intergenerational conflict ⓘ tension between spiritual aspiration and bodily limitation ⓘ |
| followedBy | Of the Farm NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre |
literary fiction
ⓘ
novel with mythological elements ⓘ |
| hasCoverArtBy | Alfred A. Knopf design department ⓘ |
| hasLiteraryDevice |
mythological parallelism
ⓘ
shifting perspective ⓘ symbolism ⓘ |
| includedIn | 20th-century American novels canon ⓘ |
| incorporates | Greek mythology ⓘ |
| isbn | 9780394419510 (later edition) ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryMovement | postwar American literature ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
George Caldwell
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Peter Caldwell NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mediaType | print ⓘ |
| narrativeTechnique | mythological allegory ⓘ |
| notableFor | fusion of everyday realism with classical myth ⓘ |
| pageCountApproximate | 300 ⓘ |
| partOf | John Updike bibliography ⓘ |
| precededBy | Rabbit, Run NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| protagonistOccupation | high school teacher ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1963 ⓘ |
| publisher | Alfred A. Knopf ⓘ |
| setting | small-town Pennsylvania ⓘ |
| structure | alternation between realistic and mythological modes ⓘ |
| theme |
family
ⓘ
father–son relationship ⓘ human frailty ⓘ mortality ⓘ myth and reality ⓘ religion and doubt ⓘ sacrifice ⓘ |
| timePeriodOfSetting | early 1940s ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.