Occasion for Loving (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Nadine Gordimer
- First Published: 1963
- Type of Work: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: 1961-1962
- Setting: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Principal Characters: Jessica Stilwell, Tom Stilwell, Boaz Davis, Ann Davis, Gideon Shibalo
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: 1960’s, Family or family life, Self-discovery, Love or romance, Art or artists, Marriage, Writing, Adultery, South Africa or South Africans
- Locales: South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
The Novel
Occasion for Loving is divided into four parts, the first two taking up about two-thirds of the book. The first part establishes virtually all the love and family relationships touching on Jessica Stilwell, many of which are inhibited in some way or perceived by her as disastrously limiting to her sense of personal freedom. Though an acutely perceptive person and not unlikable, Jessica is distant, even cold. The reader understands that one essential purpose of Nadine Gordimer’s novel must be to follow Jessica along an existential path toward greater...
[The entire page is 2081 words long]
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