Stafford, Jean (Vol. 4) - Stafford, Jean 1915–
Stafford, Jean 1915–
Ms Stafford is an American novelist and short story writer praised for her sensitive depictions of adolescence and childhood. (See also Contemporary Authors, Vols. 1-4, rev. ed.)
In some respects, the symbolism of The Mountain Lion is too profuse and mechanical, but in the case of this contrapuntal death motif [Molly's death-wish has its counterpart in Ralph's ever-increasing desire to be rid of her], Miss Stafford has made symbol synonymous with theme. Read as an account of two differing reactions to initiation, the novel makes perfectly good sense. But it is equally meaningful viewed as an extended metaphor depicting the initiation of a single adolescent. Psychology generally accepts that one level of maturity is achieved when the adolescent abandons bisexuality and asserts the dominant sexual quality, simultaneously repressing its opposite. Now, sexual knowledge and physical development are the elements...
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