Jan 3, 2010

The Stone Angel | Themes and Characters

In all five novels that Laurence wrote about people from the fictional town of Manawaka, there are a few ongoing characters—in particular the half-breeds who lived outside the community, "up Galloping Mountain way" as the local expression went. The Tonnerre family function to some extent in The Stone Angel as what the esteemed author Robertson Davies called "fifth business": an opera term for the character who is neither the hero nor heroine, rival nor villain, but one who holds an important part of the story. Without the "fifth business" character, the hero does not win and the...