Lifelines: Marian Engel's Writings

Description

Despite an impressive output and various literary honours, the writings of Marian Engel have not received the critical attention they deserve. A comprehensive study of Engel's body of work from a feminist literary perspective, this book aims to fill the gap in Canadian literary criticism. Prior to her death in 1985 at the age of 51, Engel had published seven novels, two collections of short stories, and numerous essays and articles. Christl Verduyn examines this work, looking at Engel's concern with women's experiences and perception of the world, female identity and the social constraints on its development, female subjectivity and self, the mother-daughter relationship, and forces opposing women's artistic self-expression. Verduyn presents in-depth readings of both the novels and Engel's reflections on her experiences as a woman and a writer as found in her personal journals and other writings. She also demonstrates the extent to which Engel's work not only deserves to be ranked with the best of Canadian literature, but also enriches understanding of women's experiences and broadens the view of women's worlds.