Medusa's Ankles (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: A. S. Byatt
- First Published: 1993
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism, women's
- Time of Work: The early 1990's
- Setting: England
- Principal Characters: Susannah, Lucian, Deirdre
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Twentieth century, England or English people, Divorce, 1990’s, Western Europe or western Europeans, Middle age, Learning or scholarship, Aging, Hairdressing or hairdressers
- Locales: England
The Story
“Medusa's Ankles” presents a third-person narrative featuring Susannah, a literary scholar who frequents a hair salon featuring a print of the Pink Nude by the French artist Henri Matisse. The story relates Susannah's recognition of middle age. Her ongoing relationship with her hairdresser Lucian underscores her physical decline and brings Susannah literally to the breaking point.
Susannah was first attracted to Lucian's salon when she noticed the Matisse artwork through the plate-glass window. Cautious at first, she allows the salon owner to cut and...
[The entire page is 1618 words long]
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