Gavin Stevens is a lawyer and the county attorney in Jefferson in Faulkner's fictional

Yoknapatawpha County Yoknapatawpha County () is a fictional Mississippi county created by the American author William Faulkner, largely based on and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat of Oxford (which Faulkner renamed "Jefferson"). Faulkne ...

, Mississippi. He was educated at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

(

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

) and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

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. Gowan Stevens is related; he is described as Gavin's cousin in '' The Town'' and Gavin's nephew in ''

Requiem for a Nun ''Requiem for a Nun'' is a work of fiction written by William Faulkner. It is a sequel to Faulkner's early novel ''Sanctuary'', which introduced the characters of Temple Drake, her friend (later husband) Gowan Stevens, and Gowan's uncle Gavin S ...

''.

Novels with Gavin Stevens

*''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

'' (1931) *''

Light in August ''Light in August'' is a 1932 novel by American author William Faulkner. It belongs to the Southern Gothic and modernist literary genres. Set in the author's present day, the interwar period, the novel centers on two strangers, a pregnant wh ...

'' (1932) *''

Go Down, Moses "Go Down Moses" is an African American spiritual that describes the Hebrew Exodus, specifically drawing from the Book of Exodus 5:1, in which God commands Moses to demand the release of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. "And the LORD spok ...

'' (1942) *'' Intruder in the Dust'' (1948) *''

'' (1951) * ''The Town'' (1957) in which he narrates Chapters 2,5,8,13,15,17,20,22 * The Mansion (novel) (1959)

Short stories with Gavin Stevens

All the stories listed here were included in the volume '' Knight's Gambit'' (1949): *Smoke (1932) *Monk (1937) *Hand Upon the Waters (1939) *Tomorrow (1940) *An Error in Chemistry (1946) *Knight's Gambit (1949)

Film adaptations with Gavin Stevens

In the 1961 film ''

'', adapted from the original novel and its sequel, he is known as Ira Bobbitt and is played by

Harry Townes Harry Rhett Townes (September 18, 1914 – May 23, 2001) was an American actor who later became an Episcopalian minister. Early life Harry Townes was born in Huntsville, Alabama. the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Townes. He had a brother an ...

. Gene Phillips of

Loyola University of Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States. Its namesa ...

wrote that the name was likely altered to avoid confusion with Gowan. // Cited: p. 269. Note that the article says "Ira Stevens" is the new name even though credits state the name is "Ira Bobbitt".

References

Notes

{{Sanctuary (novel) Fictional characters from Mississippi Fictional American lawyers William Faulkner characters Male characters in literature