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 |
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Page 79
... mind , however swift it was to take and develop points that ordinarily the immature mind would miss . " The fact of the matter is , " thought Mr. Crouch to himself bitterly , " he could be a really efficient engineer with as just as ...
... mind , however swift it was to take and develop points that ordinarily the immature mind would miss . " The fact of the matter is , " thought Mr. Crouch to himself bitterly , " he could be a really efficient engineer with as just as ...
Page 135
... mind . He lay back , surprised , in his chair . It seemed that he had never thought of her before . It was as if he had been talking to her from a public telephone - box , talking interminably , and then had looked up to see her ...
... mind . He lay back , surprised , in his chair . It seemed that he had never thought of her before . It was as if he had been talking to her from a public telephone - box , talking interminably , and then had looked up to see her ...
Page 152
... mind . Try as he would , he could not coax a picture of her to materialize , though at first they had come so easily . The final possession came one day at lunch , when he was quietly eating bread and cheese and listening to casual talk ...
... mind . Try as he would , he could not coax a picture of her to materialize , though at first they had come so easily . The final possession came one day at lunch , when he was quietly eating bread and cheese and listening to casual talk ...
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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