A Single Man Summary
Christopher Isherwood

A Single Man Overview

Christopher Isherwood's "A Single Man," published first in 1964, details a day in the life of George, a closeted, gay professor of English who teaches at a small community college near Los Angeles, California. The narrative begins with George preparing to teach his classes, and ends with his death, which occurs in the middle of the night by means of heart attack. Presented without chapters, and from the perspective of a third-person, omniscient narrator, the novel is at once an intimate portrait of sexual difference, a social commentary on the detrimental effects of homophobia, and tale of the lingering pain that comes from losing a loved one.