Nov 22, 2008
The Behavior of the Hawkweeds | The Behavior of the Hawkweeds
At a glance:
- Author: Andrea Barrett
- First Published: 1994
- Type of Plot: Historical, realism
- Time of Work: The 1930's to 1970's
- Setting: Niskayuna and Schenectady, New York
- Principal Characters: Antonia, Richard, Anton “Tati” Vaculik, Otto Leiniger, Sebastian Dunitz, Gregor Mendel
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, Teaching or teachers, 1960’s, 1970’s, Family or family life, Husbands, New York, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Wives, Love or romance, Twentieth century, 1940’s, 1930’s, Grandparents or grandchildren, Success or failure, Genetics, Research, Parallel universes or alternate dimensions
- Locales: New York
The Story
Andrea Barrett's interest in the history of science is reflected in “The Behavior
of the Hawkweeds,” a complex exploration of how the past is paralleled in the present.
The story take place in several different time frames. The primary story focuses on the marriage
of Antonia and Richard, who met in the late 1940's when he was finishing his doctoral
thesis. As a way to get him to love her, Antonia tells him a story about her grandfather's
personal relationship with Gregor Mendel, who she knows is Richard's hero; she tells him
how Mendel was disillusioned in his...
[The entire page is 1305 words long]
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