The blind bow-boy

About this book

The blind bow-boy by Carl Van Vechten is a novel written in the early 20th century. It follows Harold Prewett, a sheltered heir whose estranged father hires a scandal-tinged tutor to initiate him into “life” beyond college. Moving through Jazz Age New York—from salons to sideshows—the story contrasts the allure of a witty bohemian set led by Campaspe Lorillard with the fragile innocence of Alice Blake, promising a sharp, stylish comedy of manners about experience, desire, and self‑invention. The opening of the novel introduces Harold at a first, awkward meeting with his wealthy father, George Prewett, a cloak‑and‑suit magnate who blames college for misfitting him and vows to “unteach” his son by placing him under Paul Moody, a charming reprobate located via an advertisement seeking “good character but no moral sense.” George installs Harold in his own apartment with a worldly valet, Oliver Drains, and unlimited funds, instructing him to live as he pleases for a year. Flashbacks sketch Harold’s girl‑guarded Connecticut childhood with his eccentric Aunt Sadi and his isolated small‑college years, marked by the taunt “Cloaks and Suits.” In the city, Harold helps the tearful Alice Blake after a taxi accident and accompanies her to Jefferson Market court, where she insists on paying the truck driver’s fine with Harold’s money before retreating to her strict home. Finally, Paul’s circle—Campaspe, an incisive, feline hostess; Bunny, an avant‑garde composer; and John, a jovial broker—sweep Harold into cocktails, salon talk, and a whirlwind trip to Coney Island, where Campaspe voices a cool credo of worldly adaptability as the neon carnival becomes Harold’s first lesson in modern life.