An edition of The Sand Pebbles (1962)

The sand pebbles

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Last edited by ImportBot
October 4, 2021 | History
An edition of The Sand Pebbles (1962)

The sand pebbles

  • 0 Ratings
  • 3 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 0 Have read

Literary theorist Georg Lukacs complains in his seminal work, The Historical Novel, that the works of imaginative literature too often use history as a mere backdrop, a way for an author to decorate the story and characters. Lukas singles out Sir Walter Scott, English author of such works as Ivanhoe and the Waverly novels, as a notable exception. According to Lukas, Scott's novels document, with painstaking verisimilitude, the character of the historical period in which the action is taking place, and, as a result, treat history as more than just mere scenery. One feels that Lukacs might make a similar exception for Richard McKenna, whose award-winning 1962 novel, The Sand Pebbles, has often been compared to Scott's classic novels. Set aboard an American gunship patrolling the Yangtze river on the eve of revolution in China, The Sand Pebbles is rich in detail drawn from McKenna's meticulous research as well as his firsthand experiences of China as a member of the U.S. Navy. As a spirit of nationalism inspired by Chiang Kai-shek's leadership begins to sweep through China, the river gunship San Pablo is ordered to patrol the region and protect U.S. citizens. The crew of the ship is soon drawn into an international conflict as the Chinese Nationalists begin trying to expel the "foreign devils" from their shores. The conflict will not only illustrate the divide between east and west but also provoke a divide among the members of the crew itself. What The Sand Pebbles also has in common with the truly great historical novels of the past is that its wealth of regional and historical detail is never allowed to overwhelm the story or the characters. The protagonist of McKenna's novel is Jake Holman, a machinist aboard the San Pablo who has joined the Navy in order to avoid jail time. Fiercely independent, Jake remains something of a loner aboard the San Pablo, uncomfortable with Naval protocol and discipline. It is his rebellious spirit that animates much of McKenna's novel. His independent-mindedness chafes against military hierarchy, and helps ensure that he does not share his shipmates' disdain for the Chinese. Instead, he is fascinated with the culture and the people that surround him and develops emotional bonds that will prove difficult to manage when circumstances turn tumultuous and more dire. The perspective of The Sand Pebbles is therefore both panoramic and personal. Like Lawrence of Arabia, the great tension explored here is between the individual and the vast matrix of social and historical forces within which he finds himself. The Sand Pebbles was also made into a 1966 movie of the same name starring Steve McQueen.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
597

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
2003, RosettaBooks
E-book in English
Cover of: The sand pebbles
The sand pebbles
2000, Naval Institute Press
in English
Cover of: The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
December 1991, Buccaneer Books
Library binding in English
Cover of: The sand pebbles
The sand pebbles
1984, Naval Institute Press
in English
Cover of: The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles: A Novel
June 1963, Harpercollins
Hardcover
Cover of: The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles: a novel.
1962, Harper & Row
in English - [1st ed.]
Cover of: The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
Publish date unknown, Books On Tape
Audio Cassette

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Book Details


Published in

Annapolis, Md

Edition Notes

Includes bibliographical references.
Reprint. Originally published: New York : Harper & Row, c1962.

Series
Classics of naval literature

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
813/.54
Library of Congress
PS3563.A3155 S26 1984, PS3568.O243

The Physical Object

Pagination
xxii, 597 p. ;
Number of pages
597

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL3184222M
ISBN 10
0870215922
LCCN
83027007
Library Thing
257268
Goodreads
4606002

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History

Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
October 4, 2021 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
October 28, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
May 31, 2019 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
April 21, 2019 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
April 1, 2008 Created by an anonymous user Imported from Scriblio MARC record.