John Ford's "Tis Pity She's a Whore" | John Ford's "Tis Pity She's a Whore"

At a glance:

Author: Angela Carter
First Published: 1988
Type of Plot: Metafiction
Time of Work: The late nineteenth century
Setting: The prairie somewhere in the American Midwest
Principal Characters: Johnny, Annie-Belle, The minister's son
Genres: Short fiction
Subjects: Girls, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Midwest, Incest, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Pregnancy, Death or dying, Ranches, ranchers, or ranching, Boys
Locales: Midwest (U.S.)

The Story

This story imagines what twentieth century film director John Ford, known for his Westerns, would have done if he had made a film adaptation of Jacobean playwright John Ford's ’Tis Pity She's a Whore (1629?-1633).

An unnamed rancher sets up home in a remote region of the American prairie. After bearing two children—a boy named Johnny and a girl named Annie-Belle—his wife dies. The children's only human contact, apart from their taciturn and overworked father, is the minister of the nearest town, who drives out in a buggy to collect them every...

John Ford's "Tis Pity She's a Whore" | John Ford's "Tis Pity She's a Whore"

At a glance:

The Story

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