Young People's Pride: A Novel

"Youth’s Pride: A Novel" by Stephen Vincent Benét is a novel set in the early 20th century, reflecting the lives and struggles of young artists and intellectuals navigating the complexities of love and ambition after World War I. The story introduces a group of vibrant characters at a party hosted by Johnny Chipman at the Harlequin Club, showcasing their interactions, arguments over art and literature, and the weight of their aspirations as they grapple with societal expectations and personal dilemmas. The opening of the novel establishes an engaging social setting, where Johnny Chipman finds himself mediating conversations among a diverse cast of characters, including aspiring playwrights, cartoonists, and poets. The narrative captures the humorous yet tense atmosphere of their gathering, filled with lively debates about realism in literature and the romantic appeal of Paris compared to New York. As the characters converse, they reveal their insecurities and desires regarding their careers and relationships, particularly focusing on Oliver Crowe and Ted Billett's contrasting views on love, commitment, and their hopes for the future. The initial scenes lay the groundwork for a complex exploration of youth's aspirations and the challenges they face in a world torn between tradition and modernity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Stephen Vincent Benét was an American poet, short story writer, and novelist. He wrote a book-length narrative poem of the American Civil War, John Brown's Body, published in 1928, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and for the short stories "The Devil and Daniel Webster", published in 1936, and "By the Waters of Babylon", published in 1937.