Life Before Man (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Margaret Atwood
- First Published: 1979
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The late 1970’s
- Setting: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: Values, 1970’s, Self-discovery, Sex or sexuality, Suicide, Social issues, Art or artists, Marriage, Alienation, Manners or customs, Emotions, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Pregnancy, Adultery, Canada or Canadians, Depression, mental, Ethics, Loneliness, Men’s liberation movement, Museums
- Locales: Ontario, Canada, Toronto, Canada
Characters Discussed
Elizabeth Schoenhof (SHEHN- hohf), the thirty-nine-year-old protagonist, who works in special projects in a Toronto museum of natural history. Elizabeth desperately needs to be in control, of her own life as well as the lives of others. As the daughter of a chronically alcoholic mother and a frequently absent father, she had to become streetwise at an early age. When her former lover Chris kills himself, her world begins to unravel. Still, the other characters continue to orbit around Elizabeth, which is a tribute to her very real strength. For some years,...
[The entire page is 990 words long]
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