Growing towards the light

: A critical study on the way old age is portrayed in the novels of Anne Tyler and Margaret Forster

Abstract

For the purpose of this study, I will be looking at the way old age is portrayed in the novels of Anne Tyler and Margaret Forster and in particular how these two writers depict their older characters in a family setting. I will be comparing present day society's view of the elderly with the representation of old age in the novels of Tyler and Forster. I will show that both these writers portray their older characters as being a pivotal influence on family groups. Of interest to me is how those characters react to younger members of the family group: whether they are listened to or ignored and what has been the subsequent reaction to any input that an older character gives to a family situation.

Date of Award	2003
Original language	English