San Antonio College Library

This first full-length study of Anne Tyler examines the patterns reappearing throughout her 11 novels. Petry explains that in the past Tyler has been classified as a woman's writer, a Southern writer influenced by Faulkner, and even a Dickensian, all of which labels are disproved. Instead, Petry suggests the strong influence of Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, and 19th-century Russian playwrights, especially Chekhov. Although Tyler does not care for the...

Appendices include: Places and songs in Anne Tyler's novels.

A comprehensive critical evaluation introduces readers to Tyler the short story writer and critic as well as novelist. It analyzes the author's persistent use of the family as focal point, of humor and wit, of quirky and eccentric characters wedded to their locale - primarily Baltimore, Tyler's home for many years.

This anthology focuses on Southern women writers who have published their significant work since World War II: Margaret Walker, Mary Lee Settle, Ellen Douglas, Elizabeth Spencer, Joan Williams, Maya Angelou, Shirley Ann Grau, Doris Betts, Sonia Sanchez, Gail Godwin, Sylvia Wilkinson, Anne Tyler, Nikki Giovanni, Alice Walker, and Lee Smith. Each essay includes a survey of the writer's career, a critical assessment of her work, and some treatment of...