Stoner

Stoner (1965) by John Williams is a literary fiction novel that tells the story of an average man and highlights how beautiful an average life can be. It concerns a working-class man who becomes a professor in Missouri in post–WWI America. The novel was reissued in 1972, 2003, and 2006. Stoner is an American literary classic detailing the quiet life of an academic and his love of literature. Stoner is an example of the campus novel, literary realism, and stylistic prose. It has been praised by such celebrated writers as Ian McEwan and John McGahern. Williams (1922-1994) was an American author and literature professor. Stoner is often considered autobiographical or at least partially inspired by Williams’s own experiences. Williams is the author of three novels and won the National Book Award in 1972.

This guide is based on the 2003 The New York Review of Books edition, originally published in 1965.

Content Warning: This guide contains references to death by suicide and people with alcohol addictions. The referenced book engages in ableism and stereotypes about physical disabilities. It depicts people with physical disabilities in a problematic manner.

Plot Summary

William Stoner was born on a farm in Missouri. He grows up helping his quiet but devoted parents on the farm. Stoner’s future is already written for him: He will one day take over his family’s farm. But his father sends him to the University of Missouri to study agriculture, which changes the course of Stoner’s future. At the University of Missouri, Stoner takes a required English course and falls in love with literature. He changes his major to English and turns away from his family duty to the farm. His father supports his decision to pursue a PhD in English, but Stoner is always informed by the solitude and intense work ethic he was raised with growing up on the farm.

Stoner decides to become a teacher because his English professor, Archer Sloane, notes Stoner is a natural-born teacher because he is deeply in love with literature. Under Sloane’s tutelage, Stoner pursues his passion through a PhD and becomes a teacher of mandatory English courses for undergraduates. Stoner is mostly a lonely man who embraces solitude, but in graduate school he makes friends with two other PhD candidates, Masters and Finch. When the United States enters World War I, Masters and Finch join the army. Stoner feels the pressure to join as well, but Sloane points out to him that his role in the study of the humanities is to preserve humanity, not destroy it. Stoner ultimately decides not to join the army, a decision that satisfies him but makes other people judge him. Masters dies in battle in France, but Finch returns to the University of Missouri after the end of the war and becomes a Dean.

At a party hosted by Finch, Stoner meets Edith, a young woman from a wealthy banking family. Stoner instantly falls in love with Edith. They date for a couple of weeks before Stoner proposes marriage. Edith’s father has reservations about Edith’s marrying a poor man, but he gives his permission, and Stoner quickly marries Edith. Edith and Stoner find out almost immediately their marriage will be an unhappy one. Sexual intimacy is difficult for Edith, and she quickly withdraws emotionally from Stoner. Stoner focuses on his reading, writing, and teaching while his life at home with Edith steadily grows worse and more tense. Edith gets pregnant and gives birth to a girl named Grace on whom Stoner projects all of his love and affection. Edith withdraws from Grace as well, leaving Stoner to parent Grace. Grace and Stoner develop a close bond. Grace likes being around her quiet father while he works in his study, but Edith finds it concerning and odd that Grace isn’t more social with other children.

Stoner’s father dies after a quick but difficult illness, and his mother dies soon after. Stoner sells the family farm. The death of his parents and the sale of his childhood home make Stoner reflect on the values, lessons, and work ethic he learned from his parents, whom he feels guilty for disappointing with his decision to become a literature professor.

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 financially ruins Edith’s father. When he dies by suicide, Edith returns home to her mother for weeks on end, leaving Grace and Stoner alone. Grace and Stoner grow closer during this time. Meanwhile, Stoner finally finds his stride as a professor. He grows in confidence and happiness. When Edith returns home, she is resentful of Grace and Stoner’s relationship and Stoner’s newfound confidence. She seeks to ruin Grace and Stoner’s relationship by forcing Grace out of Stoner’s study and into social events with other children. As the tension at home worsens, Stoner withdraws more and more into his work.

Stoner teaches a popular graduate seminar class. Stoner’s colleague Hollis Lomax refers his favorite student Charles Walker to Stoner’s graduate seminar. Even though Stoner’s seminar is full, he agrees to let Walker in. But Walker quickly proves to be an argumentative student who defies Stoner’s teaching and doesn’t complete the reading. The other students grow tired of Walker, and Stoner is constantly frustrated by him. Stoner is assured by other faculty members that Walker is a brilliant student who sometimes acts egotistical because he is self-conscious about his physical disabilities. Toward the end of the semester, students in the seminar class present dissertation projects. One student, Katherine Driscoll, presents an interesting and well-researched presentation that impresses Stoner. Walker presents after Katherine and uses his presentation to mock her presentation, which Stoner also recognizes is a mockery of Stoner himself. Walker earns a failing grade in the seminar class because his dissertation project is disrespectful and doesn’t show any sign that Walker did his research or kept up with his work. Hollis takes Walker’s “F” personally. During Walker’s oral examinations, Stoner notes Hollis rephrases questions for Walker so Walker can pass the exam.

Stoner asks Walker basic literature questions Walker can’t answer. It’s clear to Stoner the dignity of his field is at stake, but Hollis is outraged that Stoner is so hard on Walker. Hollis accuses Stoner of being prejudiced against people with physical disabilities, which Hollis takes personally because he himself has a physical disability. The incident with Walker turns into a life-long feud between Hollis and Stoner. Though Stoner stays out of Hollis’s way and doesn’t engage in the feud, Hollis seeks to destroy Stoner’s career. He can’t get Stoner fired because Stoner has tenure, but he has the power to change Stoner’s teaching schedule. Stoner returns to teaching basic and apathetic undergraduate students, which is a difficult schedule and feels like meaningless work.

Stoner has depression. His depression is improved somewhat when he reconnects with Katherine Driscoll. They fall madly in love and begin a months-long affair. Edith knows about the affair but doesn’t care. Ironically, Stoner’s home life becomes less stressed when he starts his affair. With Katherine, Stoner finally learns what love is. He grows exponentially during this time. But Hollis discovers the affair and threatens to fire Katherine and ruin Stoner’s reputation. Stoner and Katherine break up, and Katherine moves to another university. Stoner’s depression worsens, heartbroken over Katherine.

For years, Stoner resigns himself to his mundane life devoid of love. One day, he finally stands up for himself against Hollis’s attacks against him. Stoner starts teaching an advanced literature curriculum in his foundational English courses. The students struggle to keep up with the work, but they learn a lot. Hollis has no choice but to return Stoner to his role teaching graduate students. When Grace starts college, she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. Edith arranges a hasty marriage between Grace and the university student who got her pregnant. Grace doesn’t seem to care about the pregnancy or the marriage. Her new husband dies in World War II, and Grace has an alcohol addiction. Stoner realizes Grace purposefully got pregnant so she could escape her unhappy and loveless home with Stoner and Edith.

When Stoner is in his 60s, Hollis pressures him to retire at age 62, but Stoner wants to keep working until age 65 because his work is the only thing that brings him meaning or happiness. But Stoner is diagnosed with advanced cancer and retires at 62. He is promoted to Professor Emeritus just as he is about to retire. The cancer makes Stoner very sick. His death is prolonged, slow, and often painful. While on his deathbed, Stoner takes stock of his life. He believes his life was average and believes most people, in his view, would see it as a failure. But Stoner finds peace with his life and is happy to even have a life. He dies with a book open in his hands. In the aftermath of his death, Stoner is largely forgotten by colleagues and students. His life and death slip away, but the book suggests Stoner’s quiet life was meaningful.