At Swim-Two-Birds

The student is the unnamed protagonist of At Swim-Two-Birds. He is the author of the novel in which most of the characters exist, and the slow process by which he writes and shares the novel forms the student’s narrative—coupled with his antagonistic relationship with his uncle and drunken escapades with his friends. The student is an intelligent young man but, as he’s the first to admit, is indolent and indulgent. He drinks too much beer and doesn’t like leaving his room. One reason he rankles so much at his uncle’s criticism is that he fears it’s true, and even he can recognize the dull, fetid smell that sticks to his house-worn clothes. Despite this guilty laziness, the student convinces himself that he has a higher purpose. His novel is more important to him than his schoolwork, and he believes that his fusion of Irish folklore and modern metafiction will provide insight into the human condition for a contemporary audience. Like everything else in the student’s life, however, he approaches writing with a half-hearted energy. Passages of his manuscript are left blank or replaced by summaries, while other sections are just borrowed from newspapers or dictionaries.