and disengaged, he does little to live up to this title. Dorothy Jameson is a painter of vapid still lifes, and is similarly unprolific in her trade as Mark Frost is in his. They represent each other's counterparts, proud self-proclaimed artists who are in actuality mere hangers-on, to the productive artists represented by Gordon and Fairchild. Major Ayers is a British businessman aboard the Nausikaa. Genevieve "Jenny" Steinbauer is a youthful girl whom Patricia meets in town and invites on the excursion last minute. She, like Pat, becomes an object of sexual desire for various characters throughout the book. Pete Ginotta is Jenny's boyfriend. Though Mrs. Jameson shows a physical attraction to Pete early on, he primarily fills a background role with little personality while on the boat, it is not until the epilogue that his background is explained. He comes from a simple Italian family who experienced a "phoenix-like" rise to success in the restaurant business. David West is the steward aboard the Nausikaa. Referred to throughout the book as "the steward" or "David," his character goes unnoticed in the book until Pat acknowledges him. He assumes a larger role in the book when he and Pat elope, setting their sights on the near-by town of Mandeville yet reach no destination before dehydration forces them to return to the boat. Minor Characters Faulkner has a famous cameo appearance in the story in a conversation between Jenny and Pat as a "funny man" she met once who claimed to be a "liar by profession" who made good money doing it. Henry "Hank" Robyn is the father of Pat and Josh Robyn. Joe Ginotta is the brother of Pete Ginotta who enters the story only at the end when Pete returns home. Mrs. Ginotta is the mother of Pete Ginotta. She also appears first in the epilogue when Pete returns home. Mosquitoes and its Historical Foundations in Faulkner's Life Inspiration for Mosquitoes has been traced to a specific yachting excursion in Faulkner's life that took place in April, 1925 on Lake Pontchartrain. Attendees were members of the real-life New Orleans' artistic community and included artist William Spratling, novelist Hamilton Basso, and novelist and short-story writer Sherwood Anderson. Though the parallels between this trip and the fictive one documented in Mosquitoes make it evident that it was the inspiration for the novel's setting, it has been further noted by many critics and