John Irving`s Heroes and Their Graces = John Irving`s Heroes and Their Graces

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Referring to John Irving`s 2001 published fiction The Fourth Hand, the publisher commented, It seems, at first, to be a comedy, perhaps a satire, almost certainly a sexual farce. Yet, in the end, it is as realistic and emotionally moving as any of Mr. Irving`s previous novels. In his early six novels, John Irving shows the world suffused with grief and deception. But his novels finally turn out also as a comic and robust novel. The writer`s success in achieving this thick description of the contradictory modern world is largely due to his development of the idea of the flawed hero. Despite loss, sadness and abandonment, Irving`s heroes maintain classical heroic traits such as intelligence, tenderness, protectiveness, strength, bravery, sense of humor, independence, attractiveness. In this article, I tried to emphasize these graces potent in Irving`s heroes as the most attractive and influential device for the writer`s consistent popularity among the general public. The cinematization of his four fictions attest to audience`s sympathy toward rewarding vulnerability and truthful exaggeration in the depiction of Irving`s heroes. By taking full responsibility for their own fate despite having the flaws, Irving`s protagonists still appeal to many readers as heroes resilient in a modern chaotic world without losing their graces.