The Real Life of Sebastian Knight Lesson Plan

What was Sebastian's experience like at Cambridge, and how did it impact his sense of identity and happiness?

At Cambridge, V. learns a lot about Sebastian but is unsatisfied with what he discovers. Sebastian's time at Cambridge was marked by unhappiness, and he realized he would never fit the conventional idea of happiness. There were two distinct periods in Sebastian's life at Cambridge: before and after he started writing. Initially, he tried to become English by adopting English mannerisms, but this didn't work. He would slip up, revealing his Russian background.

In writing, however, Sebastian found a more successful "English" identity. Interestingly, he's...