The Misalliance (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Anita Brookner
- First Published: 1986
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: The 1980’s
- Setting: London
- Principal Characters: Blanche Vernon, Hubert (“Bertie”) Vernon, Amanda (“Mousie”), Sally Beamish, Elinor (“Nellie”) Beamish, Patrick Fox, Phyllis Duff
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Social realism
- Subjects: Children, Love or romance, Guilt, 1980’s, Obsession, England or English people, Adultery, Divorce, London, Loneliness, Secretaries, Happiness
- Locales: London, England
Form and Content
The Misalliance tells of Blanche Vernon’s life from April to autumn in the year following her divorce. The story proceeds chronologically, but Anita Brookner interrupts with flashbacks to explain the past and with many reflections by Blanche herself. The reader asks what Blanche must ask: What satisfactions are there for a middle-aged, divorced woman who has limited herself by her marriage but who cannot stop hoping that life has more to offer?
Blanche lives in an expensive flat in a good neighborhood in southwest London. She fights off feelings...
[The entire page is 2218 words long]
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