From Booklist
Pym was rediscovered by critics just a few years before her death in 1980. Pym's fans (and there are many) relish her representations of middle-class British life in novels distinguished by nuance and humorous portrayals that generally embrace women characters who most agreeably accept their (ultimately) solitary status. Allen's four-part study offers even more than her intended goals "to distill an essence of Pym." Indeed, this lucid accounting of Pym's entire oeuvre discusses her work in considerable depth, and it also examines critical issues and offers an exhaustive bibliography that will assist literature teachers and Pym scholars. Anyone who enjoys Pym's writing will savor Allen's research and without a doubt be motivated to seek out those novels not yet read. Alice Joyce

From Book News, Inc.
Introduces all of Pym's (1913-1980) novels and fragmentary works, discussing her life and the reception her writing received, as well as studying ten of her novels with emphasis on her fascination with romantic love, the Church, and literature. Also provided is a bibliographic essay summarizing the critical issues in her work and a comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Lacks an index. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

Book Description
Encourages the teaching of Pym's novels and assists scholars in the critical study of Pym's contribution to English literature.

About the Author
Orphia Jane Allen (PhD, University of Oklahoma) is Associate Professor of English at New Mexico State University. Her publications include articles in "Genre, Modern Fiction Studies, Latin American Literary Review," and the "Doris Lessing Newsletter."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Barbara Pym (1913-1980) wrote more than a dozen novels that reflect the life and manners of mid-twentieth-century Britain. Pym's subtle wit and irony infuse the common round of English drawing room comedy with an energy that validates the seeming trivia of women's lives. "Barbara Pym: Writing a Life" is about Pym and her novels and about the critical response to her work. Part 1 introduces all of Pym's novels, as well as fragments collected posthumously, in the order in which they were written, relating some of the events in her life-including the public reception of her work-to her themes in the novels. Part 2 is a study of the ten novels that Pym herself prepared for publication. It focuses on some of the autobiographical elements in the novels that Pym herself prepared for publication. It focuses on some of the autobiographical elements in the novels that derive from Pym's concerns about romantic love, the Church, and literature, and discusses some of the techniques Pym used in transmuting these concerns into fiction. Part 3 is a bibliographic essay that summarizes the critical issues that have come to bear on her work. Part 4 is a comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources. "Barbara Pym: Writing a Life" is designed to encourage the teaching of Pym's novels and to assist scholars in the critical study of the novels and of Pym's contribution to English literature.

Author Biography: Orphia Jane Allen (PhD, University of Oklahoma) is Associate Professor of English at New Mexico State University. Her publications include articles in "Genre, Modern Fiction Studies, Latin American Literary Review," and the "Doris Lessing Newsletter."

FROM THE CRITICS

BookList - Alice Joyce

Pym was rediscovered by critics just a few years before her death in 1980. Pym's fans (and there are many) relish her representations of middle-class British life in novels distinguished by nuance and humorous portrayals that generally embrace women characters who most agreeably accept their (ultimately) solitary status. Allen's four-part study offers even more than her intended goals "to distill an essence of Pym." Indeed, this lucid accounting of Pym's entire oeuvre discusses her work in considerable depth, and it also examines critical issues and offers an exhaustive bibliography that will assist literature teachers and Pym scholars. Anyone who enjoys Pym's writing will savor Allen's research and without a doubt be motivated to seek out those novels not yet read.

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