Description
The approach from Gilman Street [2] gradually gives way to the Far Common, a leafy, manicured expanse of ground that proceeds the First Academy Building, which Knowles derives almost entirely from the Academy Building at Phillips Exeter, having the same cupola and similar Latin inscription over the entrance. [3] The First Academy Building, the Georgian red brick dormitories, and the Gothic-style chapel, form a quadrangle around the Center Common. There is then a group of Colonial houses for the Dean, the Headmaster, and other faculty members, along an old London-style lane leading from the dormitories to the Naguamsett River and the Crew House. Progressing in another direction, past the Field House (or "The Cage") the Center Common opens onto the Playing Fields, with tennis courts on the left, the Devon Woods on the right, and enormous open grounds for playing football, lacrosse and soccer. Directly ahead, far across the Playing Fields, is the stadium (which envelops the swimming pool), the Devon River and the climactic tree that is the basis for a very crucial part of the plot. Beyond all that, Knowles names the excess wilderness as the Fields Beyond.
The town of Devon, as described by Knowles, is of course very similar to the real-life Exeter, New Hampshire and the Devon River and the Naguamsett River are based on the Exeter River and the Squamscott River. Exactly like its real-life basis, the fresh-water Devon River eventually falls into the tidal Naguamsett, a marshy, mud-banked saline body of water that eventually connected to the ocean. The two rivers were separated by a dam and a small waterfall. [4]
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. Home to Phillips Exeter Academy, a private university-preparatory school, Exeter is situated where the Exeter River becomes the tidal Squamscott River.
Phillips Exeter Academy is a highly selective, coeducational independent school for boarding and day students in grades 9 through 12, and offers a secondary postgraduate program. Located in Exeter, New Hampshire, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States and among its most prestigious.
John Knowles was an American novelist best known for A Separate Peace (1959).
A Separate Peace is a coming-of-age novel by John Knowles, published in 1958. Based on his earlier short story "Phineas", published in the May 1956 issue of Cosmopolitan, it was Knowles's first published novel and became his best-known work. Set against the backdrop of World War II, A Separate Peace explores morality, patriotism, and loss of innocence through its narrator, Gene Forrester.
Tabor Academy is an independent preparatory school located in Marion, Massachusetts, United States. Tabor is known for its marine science courses. Tabor's location on Sippican Harbor, Buzzards Bay, has earned it the name of "The School by the Sea". The Wall Street Journal in 2007 ranked Tabor as one of the world's top 50 schools to prepare students to gain acceptance to America's most elite universities. Tabor participates in the Independent School League (ISL) and is a member of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council .
Devon is a county in England.
St. Mark's School is a coeducational, Episcopal preparatory school, situated on 250 acres (100 ha) in Southborough, Massachusetts, 25 miles (40 km) from Boston. St. Mark's was founded in 1865 as an all-boys school by Joseph Burnett, who developed and marketed Burnett Vanilla Extract. Girls have attended since 1978. St. Mark's is a member of the Independent School League and one of five prep schools known collectively as St. Grottlesex.
Peace Breaks Out (1981) is a novel by American author John Knowles, better known for A Separate Peace (1959). Both books share the setting of the Devon preparatory school, probably a reference to Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire, which Knowles attended in his youth.
Deerfield Academy is an independent coeducational boarding preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admissions Organization, and the Six Schools League.
Clifton School (Durban) is an independent day school for boys in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Dunstable Grammar School was a grammar school in the market town of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1888, it was closed in 1971.
Macdonald Hall is the name of a series of young adult novels by author Gordon Korman. The series was formerly named Bruno and Boots.
St. Peter's School is a private all-boys boarding school located in the town of Panchgani in Satara, Maharashtra, India. Founded in 1902, it ranks among the top ten boarding schools in India. The school campus covers an area of approximately 58 acres (23 ha) in the hilly countryside of Western India. It is essentially a boarding school, but a few day scholars are also admitted.
The Eight Schools Association (ESA) is a group of private college-preparatory schools in the Northeast United States.
Walter Huston "Cappy" Lillard was an American football coach and educator. He coached the Dartmouth College football team for one season in 1909 and amassed a 5–1–2 record. Lillard taught English and coached football at Phillips Academy, Andover, and later became the headmaster of the Tabor Academy.
A Separate Peace is a 1972 American drama film directed by Larry Peerce. It was adapted by John Knowles and Fred Segal from Knowles's best-selling novel of the same title. The film stars Parker Stevenson.
Torquay Boys' Grammar School is a selective boys grammar school in Torquay, Devon, England. As of January 2012, it had 1,113 students. The school was founded in 1904.
St Wilfrid's School is a private and non-selective day school for girls and boys aged 3–16 in the city of Exeter in Devon, England. The school has been in existence for over 140 years following the education act of 1870. Their motto is "The little school with a big personality".
Nicholas Emery was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as an associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from October 22, 1834, to October 21, 1841.
