Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (English) Paperback Book

Description: Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, A.N. Wilson "Excellent Women" is one of Barbara Pymas richest and most amusing high comedies. Mildred Lathbury is a clergymanas daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those aexcellent women, a the smart, supportive, repressed women who men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighborsaanthropologist Helena Napier and her handsome, dashing husband, Rocky, and Julian Malory, the vicar next doorathe novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived in a vanishing world of manners and repressed desires. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description "The finest introduction to Barbara Pym" (The New York Times): a hilarious comedy of manners by the shrewdly observant British novelist often compared to Jane Austen One of Barbara Pyms richest and most amusing high comedies, Excellent Women has at its center Mildred Lathbury, a clergymans daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those "excellent women," the smart, supportive, repressed women who men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors—anthropologist Helena Napier and her handsome, dashing husband, Rocky, and Julian Malory, the vicar next door—the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived in a vanishing world of manners and repressed desires. Author Biography Barbara Pym (1913–1980) was a British novelist best known for her series of satirical novels on English middle-class society. A graduate of St. Hildas College, Oxford, Pym published the first of her nine novels, Some Tame Gazelle, in 1950, followed by five more books. Despite this early success and continuing popularity, Pym went unpublished from 1963 to 1977. Her work was rediscovered after a famous article in the Times Literary Supplement in which two prominent names, Lord David Cecil and Philip Larkin, nominated Pym as the most underrated writer of the century. Her comeback novel, Quartet in Autumn, was nominated for the Booker Prize. A. N. Wilson (introducer) was born in 1950 and educated at Rugby School and New College, Oxford. A fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he has held a prominent position in the world of literature and journalism, winning prizes for much of his work and contributing to the London Even Standard, Times Literary Supplement, New Statesman, Spectator, Observer, and Daily Mail, among others. He lives in London. Review "Beneath the gentle surfaces of [Pyms] novels is a slow-building comedy, salt wit in a saline drip. . . . Her work offers the reassurance that we are all as bad and as good, as prickly and as resilient, as any Evensong attendee. It is a useful gratification in grating times." —The New York Times"A startling reminder that solitude may be chosen and that a lively, full novel can be constructed entirely within the precincts of that regressive virtue, feminine patience." —John Updike, The New Yorker"Reading Barbara Pym is . . . a wonderful experience, full of unduplicable perceptions, sensations, and soul-stirrings." —Newsweek"[One of] the finest examples of high comedy to have appeared in England during the past seventy-five years." —Lord David Cecil Long Description "Excellent Women" is one of Barbara Pyms richest and most amusing high comedies. Mildred Lathbury is a clergymans daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those excellent women, the smart, supportive, repressed women who men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighborsanthropologist Helena Napier and her handsome, dashing husband, Rocky, and Julian Malory, the vicar next doorthe novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived in a vanishing world of manners and repressed desires. Review Quote Reading Barbara Pym is . . . a wonderful experience, full of unduplicable perceptions, sensations, and soul-stirrings. (Newsweek) Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide INTRODUCTION Barbara Pyms Excellent Women is a novel about a woman named Mildred Lathbury who is living in London in the 1950s. A self-proclaimed spinster, virtuous almost to a fault, intelligent, and entirely without family, Mildred is alone and content to be so. As the story begins, she is leading a quiet life of churchgoing and part-time charity work, with the Malorys--Julian, a pastor and single man, and his frazzled, sweet sister, Winifred--as her dearest friends. However, as Mildred herself notes, "An unmarried woman, just over thirty, who lives alone and has no apparent ties, must expect to find herself involved or interested in other peoples business" (p. 5). And so upon her too-comfortable existence enter a host of unsettling and decidedly unvirtuous characters: the Napiers--Helena and Rockingham--a glamorous and unconventional couple who become Mildreds housemates; Allegra Gray, the calculating widow who destabilizes Mildreds relationship with the Malorys; and Everard Bone, the aloof anthropologist who befriends Mildred against all of her expectations. The Napiers marriage is on the rocks, due to Helenas fierce dedication to her anthropological fieldwork and to dashing Rockinghams effortless romancing of every woman he encounters. As their go-between and confidant, Mildred suddenly finds herself swept into their milieu of romantic drama and self-important science. Two love triangles develop: between the Napiers and Everard Bone, and between Allegra Gray, Julian Malory, and, to her surprise, Mildred herself. Even as she expresses her intent to preserve her independence, a number of potential suitors present themselves. The more Mildred tries to extricate herself, the more involved she becomes, as each of her friends depends on her to sort out the unflattering messes they make for themselves. Yet behind her plain and patient facade, capable Mildred turns out to be a more ruthless social observer than even the anthropologists whose job it is to "study man." Excellent Women is a romantic comedy that makes the decidedly unromantic suggestion that its narrator might be happiest alone. Mildreds wit and independence subvert the stereotype that "excellent women" are dull. Set against the backdrop of postwar London, a city sorting through the disruptions of wartime bombing, the beginnings of feminism, and the end of colonialism, the novel offers effortless social critique that is as entertaining as it is enlightening. ABOUT BARBARA PYM English novelist Barbara Pym was born in 1913 in Shropshire. She was educated at Oxford and for many years worked at the African Institute in London. She enjoyed initial success in her writing career but then for over a decade was unable to find a publisher for her novels. After being called "the most underrated writer of the century" by Philip Larkin, there was a resurgence of critical and popular interest in her work in the final years of her life. She published six novels between 1950 and 1961, including Excellent Women in 1952, and four additional works after 1977. Among these later works is Quartet in Autumn , which was nominated for the Booker Prize. Pym died in 1980 at her home in Oxfordshire. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Try to define the "excellent women" of the novels title. What are their habits and character traits? How do others view them, and what is their role in society? Consider whether Mildred herself views herself as an excellent woman, both at the beginning and the end of the novel. As a single woman without family, Mildred is perceived to be always available to others. Nearly every character--from the Napiers to the Malorys to Everard Bone--comes to Mildred for help and advice. What aspects of Mildreds personality make her seem dependable, as someone to rely on for help? Do you think she actually helps those who come to her? How does she feel about the role that is thrust upon her? Excellent Women is firmly rooted in a specific place and time. What can you learn about England in the 1950s from this novel? Think about the war in the then-recent past--the specter of the bombed-out church that Mildred and Everard attend, for example--and the changing position of women. How would you describe the city and the lives of Londoners? Is London a place of opportunity or a metropolis haunted by history? What in particular does it offer to Mildred that another place might not? Women and their relationship to work is a theme throughout the novel. Helena Napier, for example, struggles to balance her passion for fieldwork with her marital duties, while Mildred herself tries to maintain meaningful part-time work alongside solitude. How do their lives compare to the lifestyles of single women in their thirties today? Which of their problems continue to vex contemporary working women? The jumble sales at All Souls are a preoccupation for many of the women who fit Mildreds description in the book. Who buys clothing and knickknacks at such events, and what do the volunteer organizers enjoy or despise about participating in the sales? What might these bazaars of used things symbolize, consciously or unconsciously, for these characters or for Barbara Pym? Though Mildred professes that she is satisfied with her life, she is also tempted by the options she sees other women taking. Think of the women she envies and the women she pities. What possible futures do you think are available to her in her era? In ours? Return to places in the novel in which she contemplates her fate. What does she fear she might become? Consider the type of work that Mildred does, the church activities as well as her job with the impoverished gentlewomens group. Do these still exist as common occupations in the place that you come from? Who is involved in them? Are there new volunteer or religious or NGO positions that have replaced the former charity and part-time work of "excellent women"? Helena and Everard are anthropologists--students of human societies. How perceptive are they about their own lives and society? Compare their skills to Mildreds own social acuity. What does Pym suggest about the gulf between science and lived reality? Do you think her depiction of anthropology is merely satirical, or does she suggest that there might be something to gain from such study? What does Mildred think? Many people seem to pity Mildred for being unmarried, and over the course of the novel more than one suitor presents himself to her. What does Mildred think of the possibility of marriage? Think over various scenes in the novel when she considers married life, its preoccupations and obligations. What in her life would change if she were no longer single? Does Mildred want to be married, or are there things she values more? Mildred lives alone, as do many of the minor characters in the novel, including Dora, William, and Everard Bone. What do these characters gain by living alone, and what do they lose? Who is happy with his or her situation, and who seeks to change it? What do you think the authors attitude is toward these characters? What is yours? At the end of the novel, Pym hints at changes in Mildreds life while being ambiguous about what exactly those changes might be. What do you predict for her? What do you think would make her happiest or most fulfilled? What would be the traditional happy ending? Why does Mildred insist that she is nothing like the gothic heroine Jane Eyre? What does this suggest about her modesty or her self-regard? Do you think she might be termed a heroine, even if an untraditional one? What about her is heroic? What about her story is an adventure, a quest, or a journey? Details ISBN014310487X Author A.N. Wilson Short Title EXCELLENT WOMEN Language English ISBN-10 014310487X ISBN-13 9780143104872 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Residence US Birth 1913 Death 1980 DOI 10.1604/9780143104872 Place of Publication New York, NY Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2006-12-26 NZ Release Date 2006-12-26 US Release Date 2006-12-26 UK Release Date 1900-01-01 Pages 256 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Year 2006 Publication Date 2006-12-26 Imprint Penguin USA Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:12629104;

Price: 32.07 AUD

Location: Melbourne

End Time: 2025-01-08T03:49:00.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 AUD