Tillie Olsen Criticism
The literary contributions of Tillie Olsen are celebrated for their profound exploration of the human condition, with a particular focus on the struggles of marginalized individuals. Her narrative style is lauded for its eloquence and compassion, seamlessly incorporating dialect and flashbacks to convey complex human experiences with remarkable brevity. Despite some critiques regarding her feminist perspective, which Ellen Cronan Rose argues may sometimes generalize the human condition, Olsen's portrayal of both male and female characters reflects her deep understanding of humanity, as discussed by Blanche Gelfant and Ellen Cronan Rose.
Olsen's most notable work, Yonnondio: From the Thirties, stands out for its raw and emotionally resonant portrayal of a family grappling with poverty during the Great Depression. Her powerful and lyrical prose vividly encapsulates the era's essence and the resilience of the human spirit amidst adversity, as highlighted by Peter Ackroyd. Additionally, Olsen's writing champions the cause of solidarity among workers and gives voice to the socially and economically oppressed, a perspective emphasized by Catharine R. Stimpson.
In Silences, Olsen examines the obstacles faced by writers, especially women, in preserving their creative identities. Margaret Atwood notes how Olsen sheds light on the systemic and personal barriers hindering artistic expression. Despite these obstacles, Olsen's work is acclaimed for its feminist perspectives and emotional depth, reaching classic status as praised by Robert Coles. Her literature uniquely addresses the intersection of everyday struggles and artistic creation, highlighting these issues' universal nature beyond gender, as observed by David Dillon. Although Olsen's output was limited due to personal responsibilities, her work remains influential and relevant, a point underscored by Nolan Miller.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Olsen, Tillie (Vol. 114)
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The Stories of Tillie Olson
(summary)
In the following essay, O'Connor praises Olsen's short stories, for the power of their scenes of everyday life.
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The Passion of Tillie Olsen
(summary)
In the following review of Tell Me a Riddle, Fisher praises Olsen's efforts as a feminist writer.
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Limming: or Why Tillie Writes
(summary)
In the essay below, Rose explores Olsen's philosophy on writing and suggests that Olsen, a renowned feminist, is as powerful at depicting men as she is at depicting women.
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Silences
(summary)
In the following review, Oates contends that Silences suffers from omissions, uneven tone, and faulty logic.
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Extending the Boundaries of the Ego: Eva in 'Tell Me a Riddle.'
(summary)
In the following essay, Culver discusses Olsen's views on self-fulfillment and motherhood.
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After Long Silence: Tillie Olsen's 'Requa'
(summary)
In the following essay, Gelfant addresses the protagonist's need to find meaning and self-renewal during the Depression in Olson's short story 'Requa.'
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Literary Foremothers and Writers' Silences: Tillie Olsen's Autobiographical Fiction
(summary)
In the essay below, Kamel discusses the elements which are common within Olsen's writings.
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Tillie Olsen: The Writer as a Jewish Woman
(summary)
In the following essay, Lyons argues that while Judaism shapes Olsen's work, her writing is most influenced by her experiences as a woman.
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The Struggle for 'Selfness' through Speech in Olsen's Yonnondio: From the Thirties
(summary)
In the following essay, Staub traces Olsen's focus on self-articulation and the freedom it brings. Tillie Olsen's only novel, Yonnondio: From the Thirties, written between 1932 and 1937 but not published until 1974, concerns a migrant family's impossible dream: the search for happiness and security in a world they never made. It is an often shocking book, one that makes vivid the brutal consequences of homelessness and poverty on a married couple, Jim and Anna Holbrook, and their five children: Mazie, Will, Ben, Jimmie, and baby Bess. As it proceeds, however, it is apparent that the novel belongs primarily to Anna and to Mazie, her oldest daughter, and their efforts to speak and be heard in a hostile environment. From its opening sentence through to its final description, Yonnondio is a highly compressed catalogue of sounds and silences. A theme emerges: that women and girls of the working class will never identify their own concerns at home or in society until they can create forums where their individual stories are heard, shared, and debated.
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'A Child of Anxious, Not Proud, Love': Mother and Daughter in Tillie Olsen's 'I Stand Here Ironing'
(summary)
In the following essay, Bauer remarks on the themes of hope and despair within the mother-daughter relationship in 'I Stand Here Ironing.' The story explores the emotional and economic challenges faced by the mother as she reflects on her daughter Emily's troubled life, highlighting the internal conflicts of responsibility and fear for Emily's future.
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'Coming to Writing' Through the Impressionist Fiction of Tillie Olsen
(summary)
In the following essay, Wolfe compares 'I Stand Here Ironing' with 'Hey Sailor, What Ship?' as she explores Olsen's concept of universal hope.
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Tillie Olsen's Tell Me a Riddle: The Dialectics of Silence
(summary)
In the following essay, Pfaelzer discusses the ways in which Olsen uses language and silence in Tell Me a Riddle to represent Eva's journey from alienation to engagement.
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Balancing the Hurts and the Needs: Olsen's 'I Stand Here Here Ironing'
(summary)
In the following essay, Kloss examines the daughter's emotional deprivation in 'I Stand Here Ironing.'
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The Stories of Tillie Olson
(summary)
- Olsen, Tillie (Vol. 4)
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Olsen, Tillie (Vol. 13)
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Three Women Work It Out
(summary)
In the following essay, Catharine R. Stimpson examines Tillie Olsen's "Yonnondio: From the Thirties," highlighting Olsen's lyrical portrayal of the consciousness of social and economic victims and her role as their voice, while acknowledging the political and temporal context of her work, and advocating for solidarity among workers.
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Peter Ackroyd
(summary)
In the following essay, Peter Ackroyd contends that Tillie Olsen's Yonnondio transcends its conventional plot through evocative prose and imagery, capturing the essence of the 1930s without succumbing to sentimentality, and highlighting the powerful, instinctive connection between humanity and nature.
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Robert Coles
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Coles praises Tillie Olsen as a powerful feminist writer whose poignant and compassionate works, though limited by life circumstances, have achieved classic status and underscore the enduring nature of artistic and personal struggles.
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Obstacle Course
(summary)
In the following essay, Margaret Atwood explores how Tillie Olsen's "Silences" examines the obstacles faced by writers, particularly women, in maintaining their creative identities amidst societal and personal challenges, emphasizing the unique difficulties women encounter due to systemic gender biases and personal responsibilities.
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Phoebe-Lou Adams
(summary)
In the following essay, Phoebe-Lou Adams critiques Tillie Olsen's Silences for attributing the underperformance of certain writers, primarily women, to external factors rather than writer's block, resulting in a discourse that prioritizes eloquence over logical analysis.
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Nolan Miller
(summary)
In the following essay, Nolan Miller argues that Tillie Olsen's limited literary production is due to the constraints of familial and economic responsibilities, and he emphasizes that her work, particularly Silences, highlights the societal suppression of individual talents, underscoring the depth and significance of her achievements despite these obstacles.
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Art and Daily Life in Conflict
(summary)
In the following essay, David Dillon highlights Tillie Olsen's "Silences" as an exploration of the intersection between literature and life circumstances, emphasizing Olsen's enduring ability to produce literature under challenging conditions and her focus on addressing a universal writer's struggle rather than exclusively a woman's issue.
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Three Women Work It Out
(summary)
- Further Reading