Jill: A NovelThe novel is set in wartime Oxford, the city in which it was written. Protagonist John Kemp is a young man from "Huddlesford" in Lancashire, who goes up to Oxford. With great sympathy it analyses his emotions at this first experience of privileged southern life (he had never been south of Crewe). Socially awkward and inexperienced, Kemp is attracted by the reckless and dissipated life of his roommate Christopher Warner, a well-off southerner who has attended a minor public school, tellingly called "Lamprey College". The eponymous Jill is Kemp's imaginary sister, whom he invents to confound Warner. Kemp then discovers a real-life Jill called Gillian, the 15-year-old cousin of Warner's friend Elizabeth. Kemp becomes infatuated with Gillian, but his advances are thwarted by Elizabeth and rebuffed by Gillian |
From inside the book
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Page 45
... John had time to be alarmed , they were speaking of the term's work . Christopher sat frowning seriously , his brief answers revealing to John's surprise that he knew hardly anything , but his self - confidence seemed to increase with ...
... John had time to be alarmed , they were speaking of the term's work . Christopher sat frowning seriously , his brief answers revealing to John's surprise that he knew hardly anything , but his self - confidence seemed to increase with ...
Page 51
... John's days were all similarly vacuous as he lived the unfamiliar hotel life of the undergraduate , and in ... John , with a little laugh . " Do you ? That's a bit of bad luck . Can't you ask the Dean to move you ? " " Oh , he's all ...
... John's days were all similarly vacuous as he lived the unfamiliar hotel life of the undergraduate , and in ... John , with a little laugh . " Do you ? That's a bit of bad luck . Can't you ask the Dean to move you ? " " Oh , he's all ...
Page 95
... John's eye . A triumphal march began in John's head as he imagined that Christopher was loth to accept his fresh status in John's view , now that there was nothing but common ground between them ; he felt as if they had submitted some ...
... John's eye . A triumphal march began in John's head as he imagined that Christopher was loth to accept his fresh status in John's view , now that there was nothing but common ground between them ; he felt as if they had submitted some ...
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Common terms and phrases
afternoon asked Banbury Road beer began bottle bread Chris Christo Christopher Warner Christopher's cigarette College Crouch d'you damn dark desk door drink Eddy Eddy's Edward du Cann Elizabeth empty eyes face feel felt fire fountain pen gave Gavin Bone girl glass grinned hair Hallo hands head Higher School Certificate Huddlesford Jill Joe Kemp John heard John Kemp John's Junior Common Room knew Lamprey laugh laughter leaving letter light listened looked round mind Minerva morning mouth never night noticed overcoat Oxford Patrick Patrick Dowling paused pher pocket porter pulled pushed remember seemed sherry glasses sitting smiled smoke sofa sound stared stood stopped street talking teacake Thank there's thing thought took town turned Tutor voice walked watched Whitbread window wondered