John Knowles' influencesWhat is an author's muse? A muse can be influenced by historical events, life events, or ideals. A Separate Peace written by John Knowles is a book written from his experiences and current events. He took these experiences and transferred them into his novel. Today, many people appreciate his novel and its influences. John Knowles's boarding school in Exeter, his life and experiences during World War II, and the guilt of the characters influenced his great work, A Separate Peace. Phillips Exeter Academy, the school that John Knowles attended, played a major role in the development of the story. John Knowles wrote A Separate Peace fifteen years after he graduated. At the beginning of A Separate Peace, Gene returns to visit the school fifteen years later (Knowles. “A Special Time, A Special School” 1). Knowles' graduation time influenced the number of years Gene visited the school after graduation. Like the Devon School, Exeter is located in New England, where most of the plot takes place (1). Different characters were modeled after people who attended the academy. Phineas “Finny” is inspired by Bob Tait. He died on the operating table because the bone marrow leaked from his bones, which is an important part of Finny's character (Knowles. “John Knowles' Thoughts on His Novel” 2). George Carhart is the school pastor in the novel; however, at Exeter he works in the English department. John Knowles gave this English teacher an important role in the novel because he liked the sound of his name (1). Brinker Hadley, one of the characters in the novel, is inspired by Gore Vidal (1). According to John Knowles, Gore was "a very unusual and successful person." (1). Vidal's personality formed the character of Bri...... middle of paper ......el. Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. January 31, 2014. “Influence of War in Knowles’ Separate Peace.” » Influence of War in Knowles' Separate Peace. Separate peace. Np, and Web. March 5, 2014. “John Knowles on a Separate Peace.” » Phillips Academy, Exeter. Np, and Web. March 4, 2014. Knowles, John. A separate peace; a novel. New York, New York: Mamillan, 1960. Print. Neighbors, Ryan. “guilt in a separate peace.” Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. January 31, 2014. .Neighbors, Ryan. “violence in a separate peace”. Bloom's literature. Facts about File, Inc. Web. January 31, 2014. Telegan, Diane, ed. A Separate Peace: Novels for Students. Detroit, Michigan; Gale, 1997. Print."The Second World War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, March 24, 2014. Web. March 20. 2014.