Wunderkind | Carson McCullers and the Female Wunderkind
In the following excerpt, Perry offers an interpretation
of McCullers’s ‘‘Wunderkind,’’ asserting
that ‘‘the essential conflict . . . is how to react to the
pressures and distortions of adult sexuality.’’
[‘‘Wunderkind’’] reveals McCullers’s first trial of the theme she fully develops in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter: adolescence brings a paralyzing knowledge of inadequacy to the exceptional girl and bars her passage into the world of art. . . .
McCullers’s first published story, ‘‘Wunderkind’’ (1936), is clearly a preview of Mick Kelly’s characterization and situation in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter . Fifteen-year-old Frances has earned a reputation as a ‘‘Wunderkind,’’ but suddenly finds her ability daunted by a trio of male faces—her...
[The entire page is 723 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
Tell a friend about Wunderkind at eNotes.
