Writing as a Political Act: a Study of A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving.

Karine Placquet (1)

1 CAS - Cultures anglo-saxonnes

Even though John Irving has tried to mislead his readers with the title of his novel, A Prayer For Owen Meany is a political novel. The characters evolve in a marked socio-political background and their coming of age is clearly influenced by the political developments of their time: Owen is able to fulfil the destiny he thinks he has thanks to the Vietnam War; John has reasons to be bitter because of the Reagan Administration. Above all, the characters are deeply changed and touched by the political decisions taken by the people governing the country. Politics has therefore a direct impact on John Irving’s characters. This rather straightforward mimesis of reality is the pretext of a questioning of the world we live in. The reader is entertained but he is led to have a critical mind and to refuse obviousness.

Mots clés: John Irving; novel; politics; Owen Meany

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société; Littératures

Karine Placquet. Writing as a Political Act: a Study of A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving.. 2008. ⟨hal-02943989⟩