**POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW. I took the precaution of blocking out large portions, just in case.**
Just finished STONER. I agree with this sub’s love for the novel, and my comments below in no way detract from my real appreciation for the craft of Williams’s writing, and for the literary achievement the book represents. I can tell I’ll be thinking about this book for many years to come, and I look forward to the pleasure that further thinking about it will bring.
There were two things that I couldn’t really get out of my head as I read the book. They don’t necessarily detract from the book’s success as a narrative, but I’m wondering if others agree with me or have an opinion.
First, there was no mention at all of >!the devastating influenza pandemic of 1918-19. I thought that maybe it had not affected Missouri as much as other places, so I looked it up. The NIH published a multi-part article about the history of the 1918 pandemic in Missouri. Among other things, it says in part: !<
>>!At the University of Missouri, Dr. Dan Stine recorded 1,020 student cases of influenza between September 26 and December 6….The volume of influenza cases was so high in Columbia that patients were admitted not only to Parker Hospital but also to the Athens Hotel, Welch Military Academy, and a women’s dormitory at the University.!<
Here’s a link to >!<.
The second thing I can’t stop wondering is about Stoner’s impact on his students. Stoner was one thing above all: a teacher. A teacher who was a saint when it came to education.
My personal experience (as a student and as someone who has worked in universities my entire 35 year career) is that >!the ultimate legacy of gifted teachers is the impact their students carry with them, long after their formal education has ended. Discounting Ms. Driscoll, who had other connections with our protagonist, it seems there was not a single other student in Stoner’s 40 year career who maintained a meaningful connection with him later on. !<
I am surprised that >!Williams didn’t convey that at least one student !<>!learned later in life that Stoner had given them something they were too young to recognize, or too inexperienced at life to appreciate during their student days. Does Williams want us to believe that Stoner had no such impact at all? I’m OK if that’s what he wanted, but I think it would benefit from being stated explicitly, since it would be, frankly, very unusual.!<
Again – these are not criticisms of the book, they are surprises in the mind of a reader. I loved this book, very much.
by BitterStatus9