The Ballroom of Romance (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Trevor Cox
- First Published: 1972
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The early 1970's
- Setting: Rural Ireland
- Principal Characters: Bridie, Justin Dwyer, Dano Ryan, Madge Dowding, Bowser Egan, Eyes Horgan
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: 1970’s, Parents and children, Love or romance, Twentieth century, Marriage, Rural or country life, Dancing or dancers, Single people, Loneliness, Western Europe or western Europeans, Ireland or Irish people, Middle age, Isolation, Dating
- Locales: Ireland
The Story
Bridie, an unmarried woman in her mid-thirties, lives in rural Ireland and spends much of her time caring for her crippled father. Bridie still hopes to marry, and on Saturday nights, she rides her bicycle the seven miles to a wayside dance hall. She has been going to the dances for years.
On this occasion, when she arrives at the dance, she greets Dano Ryan, the drummer in the band, and exchanges pleasantries in the cloakroom with her acquaintances among the girls. These include Madge Dowding, who is three years older than Bridie and is also unmarried. Madge...
[The entire page is 1534 words long]
