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 upon and inspired by Lafayette County, Mississippi, and its county seat of Oxford (which Faulkner renamed "Jefferson"). Faul ...

, Mississippi. He was educated at Harvard (

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

) and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

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''.

Novels with Gavin Stevens

*''

Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a s ...

'' (1931) *''

Light in August ''Light in August'' is a 1932 novel by the Southern 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, ...

'' (1932) *''

Go Down, Moses "Go Down Moses" is a spiritual phrase that describes events in the Old Testament of the Bible, specifically Exodus 5:1: "And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may se ...

'' (1942) *'' Intruder in the Dust'' (1948) *'' Requiem for a Nun'' (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. Gene Phillips of

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

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 Harvard University people Fictional lawyers William Faulkner characters Male characters in literature