History Trivia / ASeparatePeace

* WriteWhoYouKnow: John Knowles based Brinker on Creator/GoreVidal, who went to Phillips Exeter Academy with him (although he was two years his senior). Vidal was made aware of this and seemed to appreciate it, stating that he liked both Brinker and ''Literature/ASeparatePeace'' itself.

** Additionally, Knowles based Finny on David Hackett, an American official whom he knew from Milton Academy. He was selected for the United States Olympic hockey team in 1948 and 1952.

* GodNeverSaidThat: Two similar but very popular rumors involving the confirmation of Gene and Finny's relationship as homosexual in nature count as this. The first (and more articulate) one, which was that [[WordOfGod John Knowles]] said Gene and Finny were romantically but not physically in love, was in fact WordOfSaintPaul. The second one stated that Knowles contradicted himself years later and said that Gene and Finny actually ''were'' gay in spite of the WordOfStraight he had given previously; however, this second statement is nowhere to be found, leaving an ambiguous WordOfStraight as the last thing he ever said regarding homosexuality in the relationship of Gene and Finny.

* GodNeverSaidThat: Two similar but very popular rumors involving the confirmation of Gene and Finny's relationship as homosexual in nature count as this. The first (and more articulate) one, which was that [[WordOfGod John Knowles]] said Gene and Finny were romantically but not physically in love, was debunked by WordOfStraight (see below). The second one stated that Knowles contradicted himself years later and said that Gene and Finny actually ''were'' gay in spite of the WordOfStraight he had given previously; however, this second statement is nowhere to be found, leaving WordOfStraight as the last thing he ever said regarding homosexuality in the relationship of Gene and Finny.

* WordOfStraight: Although the HomoeroticSubtext undeniably exists, John Knowles stated in an interview that this was entirely unintentional and that he hadn't written Gene and Finny to be gay.

** Additionally, Knowles based Finny on David Hackett, an American official whom he knew from Milton Academy.

* WriteWhoYouKnow: John Knowles based Brinker on Creator/GoreVidal, who went to Philips Exeter Academy with him (although he was two years his senior). Vidal was made aware of this and seemed to appreciate it, stating that he liked both Brinker and ''Literature/ASeparatePeace'' itself.

* AuthorAvatar: John Knowles stated that, although there are parts of him in every character, the one based the most on himself is Gene.

--> '''John Knowles:''' [[UsefulNotes/SigmundFreud Freud]] said any strong relationship between two men contains a homoerotic element. If so in this case, both characters are totally unaware of it. It would have changed everything, it wouldn't have been the same story. In that time and place, my characters would have behaved totally differently. [...] If there had been homoeroticism between Phineas and Gene, I would have put it in the book, I assure you. It simply wasn't there.

** The rumor about Gene and Finny being romantically but not physically in love ''did'' come from somewhere, however: John Heyl (Finny's actor in the 1972 movie) stated in an interview that this was his personal interpretation of Gene and Finny's relationship.

** The rumor about Gene and Finny being romantically but not physically in love ''did'' come from somewhere, however, as it was stated by John Heyl (Finny's actor in the 1972 movie) as an opinion.

---> '''John Knowles:''' [[UsefulNotes/SigmundFreud Freud]] said any strong relationship between two men contains a homoerotic element. If so in this case, both characters are totally unaware of it. It would have changed everything, it wouldn't have been the same story. In that time and place, my characters would have behaved totally differently. [...] If there had been homoeroticism between Phineas and Gene, I would have put it in the book, I assure you. It simply wasn't there.

* WordOfStraight: Although the HomoeroticSubtext undeniably exists, John Knowles stated in an interview that this was entirely unintentional and that he hadn't written Gene and Finny to be gay.

* GodNeverSaidThat: Two similar but very popular rumors involving the confirmation of Gene and Finny's relationship as homosexual in nature count as this. The first (and more articulate) one, which was that[[WordOfGod John Knowles]] said Gene and Finny were romantically but not physically in love, was debunked by WordOfStraight (see below). The second one stated that Knowles contradicted himself years later and said that Gene and Finny actually ''were'' gay in spite of the WordOfStraight he had given previously; however, this second statement is nowhere to be found, leaving WordOfStraight as the last thing he ever said regarding homosexuality in the relationship of Gene and Finny.

* GodNeverSaidThat: Two similar but very popular rumors involving the confirmation of Gene and Finny's relationship as homosexual in nature count as this. The first (and more articulate) one, which was that[[WordOfGod John Knowles]] said Gene and Finny were romantically but not physically in love, was debunked by WordOfStraight (see below). The second one stated that Knowles contradicted himself years later and said that Gene and Finny actually ''were'' gay in spite of the WordOfStraight he had given previously; however, this second statement is nowhere to be found, leaving WordOfStraight as the last thing he ever said regarding homosexuality in the relationship of Gene and Finny.