Author |
Zangwill, Israel, 1864-1926 |
Title |
The Grey Wig: Stories and Novelettes
|
Note |
Reading ease score: 74.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
|
Contents |
The grey wig -- Chassé-croisé -- The woman beater -- The eternal feminine -- The silent sisters -- The big bow mystery -- Merely Mary Ann -- The serio-comic governess.
|
Credits |
E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, M. M. Moffet, Mary Meehan, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
|
Summary |
"The Grey Wig: Stories and Novelettes" by Israel Zangwill is a collection of fictional narratives written in the early 20th century. The work appears to explore themes related to aging, social status, and the human condition through the lens of its main characters, two elderly women navigating their lives in a Parisian hotel. These characters, Madame Valière and Madame Dépine, are depicted as having a complex relationship marked by mutual resentment, jealousy over appearances, and a desire for social acceptance. The opening of the volume introduces readers to Madame Valière and Madame Dépine, two aging women living in the Hôtel des Tourterelles. Both women are characterized by their brown wigs and their contrasting personalities; Madame Valière, who has a noble past, presents a dignified exterior despite ongoing struggles, while Madame Dépine embodies a more resentful, bitter attitude towards her circumstances. Their mundane lives are disrupted by the arrival of Madame la Propriétaire, whose grey wig symbolizes an aspiration they both secretly share. In this opening portion, Zangwill deftly illustrates the dynamics and tensions that arise from their isolation and their longing for connection, setting the stage for the deeper explorations of identity and societal expectations in the stories that follow. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
|
Language |
English |
LoC Class |
PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
|
Subject |
Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
|
Category |
Text |
EBook-No. |
16408 |
Release Date |
Aug 1, 2005 |
Most Recently Updated |
Dec 12, 2020 |
Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
Downloads |
120 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!
|