Gavin Stevens (Faulkner character)
Gavin Stevens is a lawyer and the county attorney in Jefferson in Faulkner’s fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. He was educated at Harvard (Phi Beta Kappa) and Heidelberg Universities.
He is shrewd, observant and tolerant of the quirks and foibles of his fellow Southerners. He takes part in the detection and prevention of crime in the county community, and in handling the human passions released by violence in the community.
The stories are mostly narrated by his nephew Charles (Chick) Mallison, who calls him Uncle Gavin. His best friend is V. K. Ratliff (Suratt).
He is described as heroic, idealistic, tireless, and meddlesome. He finally marries the Widow Harris, the sweetheart of his youth.[1]
Gowan Stevens is related; he is described as Gavin’s cousin in The Town and Gavin’s nephew in Requiem for a Nun.[2]
Novels with Gavin Stevens
- Light in August (1932)
- Go Down, Moses (1942)
- Intruder in the Dust (1948)
- Requiem for a Nun (1951)
- The Town (1957) in which he narrates Chapters 2,5,8,13,15,17,20,22
Short stories with Gavin Stevens
- Smoke (1932)
- Monk (1937)
- Hand Upon the Waters (1939)
- Tomorrow (1940)
- An Error in Chemistry (1946)
- Knight's Gambit (1949 collection)
References
- Kirk, Robert W.; Klotz, Marvin (1965). Faulkner's People: A complete guide and index to the characters and fiction of William Faulkner. Los Angeles: University of California Press.