An exploration and insightful analysis of sisters in literature and their
depiction in three centuries of the novel.
Twenty succinct entries
Includes Jane Austen, George Eliot, J.D. Salinger, Toni Morrison
and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Sisterly relationships feature prominently in some of our best-loved
classic literature. From Jane and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice
to Hasina and Nazneen in Brick Lane, they have provided inspiration for
novelists over the centuries.
Sisters can be best friends, mother figures, rivals, heroes, sounding
boards or partners in crime, depending on literary genre, era, or the
demands of plot. They can bring into focus the changing roles of
women in society, especially in literature that predates the twentieth
century, such as Middlemarch, The Woman in White and The Old Wives’
Tale. Their bonds with younger or older siblings, like those of Meg, Jo,
Beth and Amy in Little Women, are often complex and nuanced, and
occasionally devastating.
Covering childhood, adventure, affairs of the heart and mental health,
this book explores the role of sisters in twenty individual entries, each
one providing a synopsis and analysis of the work in question. Including
writers as diverse as Charles Dickens, E.M. Forster, J.D. Salinger, Toni
Morrison and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it makes the perfect read for
book-loving sisters whatever their connection.
Available on Amazon:
JANET PHILLIPS is the author of Great Literary Friendships (Bodleian
Library Publishing, 2022).
