ABSTRACT
The All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, Guard of Honor, by James Gould Cozzens, and The Middle of the Journey, by Lionel Trilling, are three novels published since the war. They are examples of the best our American fiction can show. Each of them has high intelligence and art; they all have interesting and serious themes; and it would be possible and profitable to do a long study of any one of them. The scenes of the three novels are different, but each one is concerned with a social scene rather than with the fate of an individual. The central story of Mr. Warren's novel is that of the rise to power, the reforming zeal, the corruption and finally the murder of Willie Stark, a figure based upon the late Huey Long. Guard of Honor records three days at the air base. Mr. Trilling is at his best when he presents the discussions at Crannock.
