The literary concept of "Keene" emerges as a multifaceted character archetype, often embodying introspection, resilience, and a conflict between societal expectations and inner unease. Authors such as Frederick Marryat portray Keene as a young figure navigating adversity with remarkable maturity, as seen in Percival Keene, where he balances impulsiveness with determination.
Henry Van Dyke’s The Blue Flower presents him as a contemplative, mysterious presence, constantly at odds with his environment, while Henry Austin Dobson’s biographical note highlights his quiet, unassuming commitment to art. These varied portrayals collectively illustrate Keene as a symbol of the individual caught between personal ambitions and external pressures, reflecting the intricacies of human identity across different literary contexts.
Henry Van Dyke,
The Blue Flower
(1902)
“ After our latest expedition Keene's dark mood returned upon him with sombre intensity. Dull, restless, indifferent, half-contemptuous, he seemed to withdraw into himself, observing those around him with half-veiled glances, as if he had nothing better to do and yet found it a tiresome pastime. He was like a man waiting wearily at a railway station for his train. ”
Frederick Marryat,
Percival Keene
“ The butler looked me full in the face, and earnestly; and then, as if recollecting himself, he bowed and went on.“Captain Keene, madam,” said he, as he introduced me into a large room, at the end of which sat a venerable-looking old lady, very busy with her knitting needle, and another, almost equally ancient, sitting on a low stool beside her.As I advanced, the old lady made me a bow as she remained in in her chair, and looked at me through her spectacles. She certainly was the beau-idéal of old age. ”
Frederick Marryat,
Percival Keene
“ Bob Cross, when he had heard me without interruption, said, “Well, Master Keene, there’s no telling what a man’s born to till after he’s dead, and then it’s all known: but it does appear to me that you are born to something out of the common. Here you are, not sixteen, not only playing a man’s part, but playing it manfully. You have been put in most difficult situations, and always have fallen upon your feet in the end. You appear to have an old head upon very young shoulders; at one moment to be a scampish boy full of mischief, and at another a resolute, cool, and clever man. ”
