▁for ▁bringing ▁about ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War ▁by ▁his ▁weak ▁leadership , ▁and ▁the ▁historian ▁questions ▁how ▁correct ▁the ▁general ▁per ception ▁of ▁Buch an an ' s ▁character ▁as ▁related ▁by ▁most ▁histor ians ▁actually ▁is . ▁ ▁The ▁novel ▁is ▁a ▁tour ▁de ▁force ▁in ▁the ▁genre ▁of ▁mixed ▁history ▁and ▁fiction ▁or ▁rather ▁in ▁the ▁writer ly ▁craft ▁of ▁stretch ing ▁historical ▁description ▁to ▁( and ▁beyond ) ▁its ▁accepted ▁limits . ▁No ▁one ▁seems ▁to ▁know ▁more ▁about ▁Buch an an ▁than ▁Clay ton / Up di ke , ▁and ▁that ▁apparently ▁is ▁one ▁reason ▁why ▁Clay ton ▁could ▁never ▁finish ▁his ▁Buch an an ▁bi ography : ▁he ▁simply ▁could ▁not ▁imagine ▁his ▁subject ▁in ▁any ▁but ▁the ▁most ▁int imate ▁of ▁terms . ▁Writing ▁a ▁standard ▁bi ography ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁too ▁object ifying ▁an ▁act . ▁He ▁needs ▁the ▁prompt ▁of ▁" mem ories ▁and ▁impress ions " ▁concerning ▁another ▁president ▁to ▁get ▁him ▁going . ▁ ▁Clay ton ▁also ▁notes ▁the ▁way ▁that ▁sexual ▁m ores ▁had ▁changed ▁during ▁his ▁lifetime , ▁recall ing ▁that ▁while ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁it ▁was ▁considered ▁common ▁for ▁teachers ▁at ▁colleg es ▁to ▁eng age ▁in ▁sexual ▁l ia isons ▁with ▁their ▁female ▁students , ▁but ▁by ▁the ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ▁ ▁that ▁was ▁de emed ▁to ▁be ▁totally ▁un accept able ▁and ▁even ▁criminal ▁behavior . ▁He ▁v agu ely ▁l aments ▁the ▁loss ▁although ▁he ▁is ▁now ▁back