When Does "The Graduate" (1963) Take Place?
"The Graduate" is a comedy novel written by Charles Webb that released October 1st, 1963. So when is "The Graduate" set?
We know this because, although a specific year is not mentioned in the story, we know it is during the 20th or 21st centuries and an adaptation offers an option.
It takes place in the year:
1963 AD - 1964 AD
We know this because, although a specific year is not mentioned in the story, we know it is during the 20th or 21st centuries and an adaptation offers an option.
More specifically, the first three sentences of the book are: "Benjamin Braddock graduated from a small Eastern college on a day in June. Then he flew home. The following evening a party was given for him"... it must be late June or early July of 1963 AD at the beginning of the story.
At roughly the halfway point of the narrative, the narrator tells us, "after he had been home for nearly a month and Christmas had passed and the new year had started"... so we know the narratives crosses over into 1964 AD.
The audio drama adaptation of the novel DOES have a clear time setting for the start of the narrative: 1963 AD. Assuming a close adaptation, this is the best year we can ascertain for the story.
It was adapted to film in 1967 and as an audio drama in 2012.
