"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Not much actually happens in the rest of the book--Fay's low-rent relatives arrive for the funeral, a bird flies down the chimney and is trapped in the hall--and yet Welty manages to compress the richness of an entire life within its pages. This is a world, after all, in which a set of complex relationships can be conveyed by the phrase "I know his whole family" or by the criticism "When he brought her here to your house, she had very little idea of how to separate an egg." Does such a place exist anymore? It is vanishing even from this novel, and the personification of its vanishing is none other than Fay--petulant, graceless, childish, with neither the passion nor the imagination to love. Welty expends a lot of vindictive energy on Fay and her kin, who must be the most small-minded, mean-mouthed clan since the Snopeses hit Frenchman's Bend. There's more than just class snobbery at work here (though that surely comes into it too). As Welty sees it, they are a special historical tribe who exult in grieving because they have come to be good at it, and who seethe with resentment from the day they are born. They have come "out of all times of trouble, past or future--the great, interrelated family of those who never know the meaning of what has happened to them."
Fay belongs to the future, as she makes clear; it's Laurel who belongs to the past--Welty's own chosen territory. In her fine memoir, One Writer's Beginnings, Welty described the way art could shine a light back "as when your train makes a curve, showing that there has been a mountain of meaning rising behind you on the way you've come." Here, in one of her most autobiographical works, the past joins seamlessly with the present in a masterful evocation of grief, memory, loss, and love. Beautifully written, moving but never mawkish, The Optimist's Daughter is Eudora Welty's greatest achievement--which is high praise indeed. --Mary Park
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. The people of Mount Salus, Mississippi always felt good about Judge McKelva. He was a quiet, solid reassuring figure, just as a judge should be. Then, ten years after his first wife's death, he marries the frivolous young Wanda Fay. No-one can understand his action, not least his beloved daughter, Laurel, who finds it hard to accept the new bride. It is only some years later, when circumstance brings her back to her childhood home, that Laurel stirs old memories and comes to understand the peculiarities of her upbringing, and the true relationship between her parents and herself. The Optimist's Daughter is a reflective, poignant novel of independence and love, for which Eudora Welty, one of America's gretest contemporary Southern writers, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. A reflective, poignant novel of independence and love from one of America's greatest contemporary Southern writers. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780860683759
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780860683759
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. A reflective, poignant novel of independence and love from one of America's greatest contemporary Southern writers. Seller Inventory # B9780860683759
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780860683759-GDR
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 192 pages. 7.72x5.12x0.51 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0860683753
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780860683759_new
Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition 0.35. Seller Inventory # bk0860683753xvz189zvxnew
Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published 0.35. Seller Inventory # 353-0860683753-new
Book Description Condition: New. 1984. New Ed. Paperback. A reflective, poignant novel of independence and love from one of America's greatest contemporary Southern writers. Series: VMC. Num Pages: 192 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 127 x 13. Weight in Grams: 142. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780860683759
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Buy for Great customer experience. Seller Inventory # GoldenDragon0860683753