Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Thomas Keneally's Schindler’s List. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
Schindler’s List: Introduction
A concise biography of Thomas Keneally plus historical and literary context for Schindler’s List.
Schindler’s List: Plot Summary
A quick-reference summary: Schindler’s List on a single page.
Schindler’s List: Detailed Summary & Analysis
In-depth summary and analysis of every chapter of Schindler’s List. Visual theme-tracking, too.
Schindler’s List: Themes
Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of Schindler’s List's themes.
Schindler’s List: Quotes
Schindler’s List's important quotes, sortable by theme, character, or chapter.
Schindler’s List: Characters
Description, analysis, and timelines for Schindler’s List's characters.
Schindler’s List: Terms
Description, analysis, and timelines for Schindler’s List's terms.
Schindler’s List: Symbols
Explanations of Schindler’s List's symbols, and tracking of where they appear.
Schindler’s List: Theme Wheel
An interactive data visualization of Schindler’s List's plot and themes.
Brief Biography of Thomas Keneally
Born in Sydney, the Australian writer Thomas Keneally grew up in the timber and dairy town of Kempsey, New South Wales. His father flew in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. As a teenager, Keneally entered the seminary to become a Catholic priest, but although he did become a deacon, he left before being ordained as a priest. In 1962, he published his first story, and he went on to publish over 50 books. Though Keneally is well-regarded as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, his most famous work remains Schindler’s List, which was originally published as Schindler’s Ark in 1982 and then adapted into a critically acclaimed movie in 1993. Keneally lives with his wife in Sydney and has two daughters.
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Historical Context of Schindler’s List
Though Schindler’s List doesn’t take place on an active battlefield, World War II is the context behind virtually all of the major events in the book. Fascism, a far-right nationalist political philosophy that began in Italy around World War I, rose to prominence in the 1930s and 1940s and is particularly associated with Adolf Hitler (the leader of Germany’s Nazi Party) and Benito Mussolini. Hitler was also a strong anti-Semite (someone who hates Jewish people) and made “racial purity” a key part of his political platform, leading to the deaths of an estimated six million Jews in the Holocaust.
Other Books Related to Schindler’s List
Thomas Keneally has credited several early 20th-century modernist writers as major influences on his work. The Irish poet W.B. Yeats and the Irish writer James Joyce—particularly his sweeping novel Ulysses—are two of his favorites. (Keneally himself has Irish heritage.) Keneally was also influenced by his predecessors and contemporaries in Australian literature. He particularly gives credit to Patrick White’s novel Voss for showing him the possibilities of what an Australian writer can do. Schindler’s List is one of a multitude of books that portray Jewish people’s plight during the Holocaust. Others include The Diary of Anne Frank, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Key Facts about Schindler’s List
- Full Title: Schindler’s List (originally titled Schindler’s Ark)
- When Written: Early 1980s
- Where Written: Australia
- When Published: 1982
- Literary Period: Contemporary
- Genre: Nonfiction Novel, Historical Fiction
- Setting: Europe in World War II
- Climax: World Warr II ends, and Schindler gives a speech in his factory.
- Antagonist: Amon Goeth
- Point of View: Third Person
Extra Credit for Schindler’s List
An Active Retirement. Thomas Keneally has remained a prolific author well into his eighties. His most recent book, The Dickens Boy, was published in 2020. He jokingly said, “Does anyone write a good book at 83? Well, I think I have.”
Fact or Fiction. Though Schindler’s List was well-reviewed, its win of the Booker Prize was controversial. The Booker Prize is an award for fiction, and some critics felt that because Schindler’s List is based on a true story and could be considered closer to historical reporting than fiction, it shouldn’t have been eligible for a fiction prize.
