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This is the first monograph to evaluate Elizabeth Bowen's 'verbal painting', and the first to acknowledge the influence of the East Kent landscape in her novels. Drawing on the work of critics and on Bowen's own essays and articles, Hirst introduces Bowen to the reader, outlining the range of her literary work and elaborating on Bowen's advice that the reader needs to work at understanding her prose. She examines Bowen's use of light and the eye from the perspective of neuropsychology, before considering the importance to Bowen of place. She discusses her 'verbal painting', drawing parallels with different genres (Post-Impressionism, Surrealism, Futurism, Collage) and artists (Paul Cézanne, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Giorgio de Chirico, Umberto Boccioni, Paul Nash), and the films of French Left Bank Cinema directors (Alain Resnais, Jean Cocteau). Finally, using the neologism 'dyslocution' for Bowen's fragmented syntax, she suggests this has been influenced by French syntax and by poetic techniques, all of which combine in a Cubist style.
List of contents
Foreword
Dr Heather Ingman
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
A brief autobiography Bowen in context Chapter 1
'The Process of Reading is Reciprocal'
Genesis: Genesis of Ideas and Influences Process: Pattern and Plot; Scene; Characters; Technique An Experimental WriterThe Reader Must Take ResponsibilityChapter 2
By the Light of her Eye
Light: Reflection and Refraction; Light and its Cousins in the Novels The Eye: A Writer's Eye;
Characters and Their Eyes; Ocular Communication; Houses have EyesChapter 3
'Place Feeling'
Origins of the Importance of Place for Bowen: Physical Place: Geology; Architectural Space; Archaeology; The Mobile Place; Atmosphere: The Liminal PlacePlace in the Novels: The Early Novels; The 1930s Novels; The War-time Novel; The Post-War NovelsChapter 4
An Artist in her Studio
Affinity with genres and artists Patterns, Shapes, Geometry of Relationships, Puzzles: Pattern; The Shape of the Novel; The Geometry of Relationships; PuzzlesTwo-dimensional work: Post-Impressionism; Surrealism; Futurism; Mirroring; Landscape; Chiaroscuro Three-dimensional work: Assemblage; Sculpture; Objet TrouvéChapter 5
'I Collect Scraps to Make Scrap Screens'
Fairy TalesChildren's StoriesBiblical and Liturgical CollageLiterary Collage Chapter 6
'A Camera at the Tip of Her Pen'
The Techniques The 1930s Novels Developments During and After the Second World War War-time Short Stories: The Heat of the Day The Final Novels Chapter 7
Dyslocution: Casting off the Superstition of Syntax
StyleDyslocution: Futurism; Fragmentation; Obliteration; Characteristics of Bowen's SyntaxThe Influence of FrenchPoetic TechniquesCubismEnvoi
Index
About the author
Brought up in East Kent,
Diana Hirst moved to London in the Swinging Sixties where she worked as PA to the Head of BBC World Service, Bob Gregson. Her late husband's work then took them for two years to France, where he was a
lecteur at the University of Tours. On their return she spent time bringing up their two sons before embarking on management work in the world of classical music. She was Director of the award-winning Mecklenburgh Opera for six years before freelancing, concentrating on event management and public relations: for this work she was dubbed the Thinking Person's PR Consultant. On retirement, she turned first to writing poetry, often about the Kent landscape, becoming Deal and Dover Poet of the Year in 2008, before a chance encounter with Elizabeth Bowen's work led to her study of the novelist. An Advanced Diploma at the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge, supervised by Dr Trudi Tate, was followed by a PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University, supervised by Dr Andrew Palmer and Dr Stefania Ciocia. Subsequently she has published a number of short essays and presented papers at Conferences, and a chapter, 'Experimenting with Tradition: Elizabeth Bowen's Literature Laboratory', has appeared in
Tradition and Experimentation in Irish Literature since Modernism (Hungarian Journal of English and American Studies Books New Series).
