Self-Deception And Moral Growth In Anita Brookner's Providence

Specht, Henrik

English Studies 2001 82 (1)44-51
(ReLIS:jul:juljig:y:2001:v:82:i:1:p:44-51)

Abstract:

Anita Brookner’s second novel, Providence, was published in 1982. 1 Like its predecessor, A Start in Life, Providence received glowing notices and has also since attracted favourable critical comment, with particular admiration for the author’s narrative control and detachment, although some critics have expressed impatience with the handling of the central character, who it has been felt is not allowed sufficient scope and freedom to develop.2 Providence may be described as a psychological and moral-philosophical novel turning on the themes of moral identity, love, and personal fulfilment in a late twentieth-century Western European setting. It is the purpose of this essay to examine how these themes are explored by Brookner in her portrait of Kitty Maule, the heroine of Providence.

Keywords: Literatura inglesa ; Novela
Pages: 44-51
Volume: 82
Year: 2001
Issue: 1

 (go top)