''Every Third Thought: A Novel in Five Seasons'' is a novel by American writer

John Barth John Simmons Barth (; born May 27, 1930) is an American writer who is best known for his postmodern and metafictional fiction. His most highly regarded and influential works were published in the 1960s, and include ''The Sot-Weed Factor'', a sa ...

, published in 2011. The book is narrated by retired

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

professor George Newett, who lives with his poet wife Amanda Todd. The couple are living in a cramped rental while deciding what to do after the destruction of their Heron Bay Estates home, as depicted in Barth's previous book, '' The Development''. As the book opens, the two are planning a trip to Shakespeare's birthplace. George hits his head when they get there and experiences past memories as if they were present, each occurring on the first day of a new season, and each corresponding to a new "season" of George's life. The novel's title is taken from the final scene of

Shakespeare's William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

final play, '' The Tempest''. At the end of a speech in which he promises to renounce magic,

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...

says, "And thence retire me to my Milan, where / Every third thought shall be my grave." The line is about considering one's mortality near life's end, and Barth's title invokes this theme.

References

Works cited

Novels by John Barth 2011 American novels {{2010s-novel-stub