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Ishmael | Study Guide

Daniel Quinn

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Study Guide
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MLA

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Course Hero. "Ishmael Study Guide." Course Hero. 6 Dec. 2019. Web. 29 May 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ishmael/>.

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APA

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Course Hero. (2019, December 6). Ishmael Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ishmael/

In text

(Course Hero, 2019)

Chicago

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Course Hero. "Ishmael Study Guide." December 6, 2019. Accessed May 29, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ishmael/.

Footnote

Course Hero, "Ishmael Study Guide," December 6, 2019, accessed May 29, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Ishmael/.

Overview

Author

Daniel Quinn

Year Published

1992

Type

Novel

Genre

Philosophy

Perspective and Narrator

The novel Ishmael is told in the first person from the viewpoint of an unnamed narrator who engages in a Socratic dialogue with a gorilla.

Tense

Ishmael is narrated in the past tense.

About the Title

The titular Ishmael is the gorilla who interviews the narrator throughout the book. In the Bible, Abraham's wife, Sarah, cannot bear children, so he produces an illegitimate son with his wife's servant and names the boy Ishmael. Later, Sarah bears Abraham a legitimate son, Isaac, who is the more beloved of Abraham.

Summary

This study guide for Daniel Quinn's Ishmael offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.

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