Angus Wilson Criticism
Angus Wilson, an influential figure in post-World War II English literature, is renowned for his incisive examination of societal changes through novels, short stories, and critical essays. His early works, such as The Wrong Set and Other Stories, are noted for their blend of satire and bleak realism, capturing the collapse of traditional middle-class values and the complexities of human relationships, as discussed by Rosemary Carr Benet. Wilson's work often reflects his own experiences of familial instability and genteel poverty, which informed his thematic focus on isolation and loss, as observed by Malcolm Bradbury.
Wilson expanded the psychological and social details in his first collection with Such Darling Dodos and Other Stories and later, A Bit Off the Map and Other Stories, which offered a more compassionate view of postwar English society. Michael Millgate highlights the insights into social structures that these stories provide, emphasizing the nuanced critique of societal roles and personal identity found in Wilson's oeuvre. Despite some criticism over his portrayals of violence, Wilson's societal critiques and attention to social history are celebrated, as noted by C. B. Cox.
In his later novels, such as The Old Men at the Zoo, No Laughing Matter, and Setting the World on Fire, Wilson incorporated elements of fantasy and symbolism, evolving from traditional realism to more experimental forms. Jonathan Raban highlights Wilson's examination of societal roles and personal identity, while Robert Kiely notes his innovative narrative techniques and thematic explorations of art and personal struggle. Despite critiques from Penelope Lively and Daphne Merkin, Setting the World on Fire is recognized for its dramatic depth. Peter Faulkner praises Wilson's balance of humanism with formal innovation, though Denis Donoghue critiques the perceived loss of spontaneity in his later works. Wilson's legacy, reinforced by his knighthood in 1980, remains influential, with renewed appreciation highlighting his contribution to literary arts.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Wilson, Angus (Frank Johnstone)
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Angus Wilson—A Profile
(summary)
In the following essay, Jonathan Raban argues that Angus Wilson's novels, often misread as cozy portrayals of middle-class life, are in fact complex examinations of societal roles and the theatrical nature of personal identity, highlighting how individuals navigate a segmented society and are ultimately tested by their entrapment in cultural scripts.
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Lifescapes
(summary)
In the following essay, Lively critiques Angus Wilson's novel Setting the World on Fire for its opulent symbolic structure, which, while showcasing Wilson's skill and imagination, ultimately undermines the depth of character development and creates a discord between the novel's grand imagery and its character portrayal.
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The Tenants of Tothill House
(summary)
In the following essay, Anne Tyler critiques Angus Wilson's novel Setting the World on Fire, highlighting his meticulous attention to character detail and internal revelation, while also noting issues of pacing and style that make the novel both absorbing and exasperating.
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An English Novelist
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Kiely examines Angus Wilson's innovative narrative techniques and thematic exploration of art and personal struggles, highlighting Wilson's ability to balance earnestness and irony while pushing literary boundaries through his depiction of "unheroic" characters and experimentation with narrative form.
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Myths and Mazola
(summary)
In the following essay, Daphne Merkin critiques Angus Wilson's novel Setting the World on Fire for its outdated style and lack of conviction, arguing that despite its initial promise and intelligent insights, it ultimately falls into formulaic patterns, presenting unconvincing characters and failing to engage with modern themes.
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You Better Believe It
(summary)
In the following essay, Denis Donoghue critiques Angus Wilson's shift from English realism to a pattern-heavy art in his later novels, arguing that this shift, coupled with a lack of spontaneity and post-imperial disillusionment, has resulted in a stifling of the energetic spontaneity and critical engagement present in his earlier works.
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Angus Wilson: Mimic and Moralist
(summary)
In the following essay, Peter Faulkner examines Angus Wilson's unique ability to combine a deep care for humanity with intricate formal elements in his writing, highlighting his exploration of societal issues, the fragility of civilization, and his broader worldview that seeks truth beyond the confines of "the London media world."
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Angus Wilson—A Profile
(summary)
- Wilson, Angus (Vol. 2)
- Wilson, Angus (Vol. 3)
- Wilson, Angus (Vol. 5)
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Wilson, Angus
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On the Way Up or Down
(summary)
In the following review, Benét praises The Wrong Set, noting that Wilson's writing 'is marked by sharp detail and a keen eye and ear.'
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Human Frailty
(summary)
In this mixed review of A Bit Off the Map, the critic approves of Wilson's "accurate" and "kindly" fictional observations but speculates that the stories might become dated due to their emphasis on contemporary society.
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Angus Wilson's Guide to Modern England
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Millgate finds A Bit Off the Map to be more compassionate than Wilson's earlier story collections. The critic also believes that the book is an insightful guide to the English social structure after World War II.
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Angus Wilson: Studies in Depression
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In this essay, originally published in Cox's 1963 book The Free Spirit, the critic argues that Wilson's short stories represent a liberal humanist attitude but that the author's pessimism about human life makes his humanist sentiments less idealistic than those of authors like English novelist E. M. Forster.
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The Wild Garden or Speaking of Writing
(summary)
In this excerpt from his book-length commentary regarding his development as a writer, Wilson discusses the manner in which events and characters from his life influenced his short fiction.
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The Wrong Set and Such Darling Dodos
(summary)
In this chapter from his book-length study of Wilson, Halio discusses the author's first two collections of short stories and outlines the characters, situations, and constructs employed in his fiction.
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The Short Stories of Angus Wilson
(summary)
In this analysis, Bradbury discusses Wilson's unusual mix of moral realism and absurd, grotesque characters, positioning him as a moral realist concerned with the analysis of man in his social context, especially within the socio-moral tradition of English fiction.
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Death Dance: Twenty-five Stories
(summary)
In this favorable review, Oates comments on the preoccupation with death that plagues many of Wilson's characters, noting that the collection is aptly named, as most characters are involved in dances of death, consciously or unconsciously celebrating the doom of their civilization.
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Death Dance: 25 Stories Designed to be Dipped Into
(summary)
In this mixed review of Death Dance: Twenty-Five Stories, Kirsch criticizes Wilson's detachment in his stories and his overemphasis on English class relations, traits that often result in one-dimensional characters.
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An interview with Angus Wilson
(summary)
In the following interview, Angus Wilson, with Frederick P. W. McDowell, discusses how authors such as Dickens, Dostoevsky, and Beckett have influenced his writing style and thematic concerns, emphasizing the exploration of human isolation, societal chaos, and the balance between humanism and anti-humanism in fiction.
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To 1950: The Wrong Set and Such Darling Dodos
(summary)
In this excerpt from his book-length study of Wilson, Faulkner analyzes the stories in Wilson's first two collections of short stories, noting the author's developing style. The title of Wilson's first collection, The Wrong Set, is a highly appropriate one for the whole volume, as well as for the title story, for Wilson's central concern is with characters who find themselves with wrong sets of relationships; can there be relationships, the volume asks, which allow and help all concerned to grow and develop, or are they necessarily props for some and prisons for others? The sombreness which underlies the wit comes from the fact that the answer suggested is negative.
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Trifle Angus Wilson: Two Volumes of Short Stories
(summary)
In this excerpt from her book-length study of Wilson, she discusses The Wrong Set and Such Darling Dodos.
- The Wrong Set (1949)
- Such Darling Dodos
- Wilson as a Short-Story Writer
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The Unknown Angus Wilson: Uncollected Short Stories from the Fifties and After
(summary)
In this essay, Stape analyzes a number of Wilson's lesser-known stories. The critic focuses on the incidents from the author's life that contributed to the tales and discusses the manner in which the characters and themes of the stories are reflected in Wilson's subsequent novels.
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Last Words
(summary)
In this review, Wilson's stories are compared to the work of English authors D. H. Lawrence and Rudyard Kipling, though Bayley finds that Wilson's early stories, in particular, are "in a class of their own."
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On the Way Up or Down
(summary)
- Further Reading