The Fiction of Ellen Gilchrist: An Appreciation

177 Pages·2005·8.49 MB·English

by  Brad Hooper

The Fiction of
Ellen Gilchrist
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The Fiction of
Ellen Gilchrist
An Appreciation
Brad Hooper
PRAEGER Westport, Connecticut
London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hooper, Brad
The Fiction of Ellen Gilchrist: an appreciation / Brad Hooper.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-275-98593-8 (alk. paper)
1. Gilchrist, Ellen, 1935—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Women and literature—
United States—History—20th century. I. Title.
PS3557.I34258Z68 2005
813'.54—dc22 2004028070
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2005 by Brad Hooper
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004028070
ISBN: 0-275-98593-8
First published in 2005
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www. praeger. com
Printed in the United States of America
@r
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 987654321 x
This book, a labor of love, is dedicated to my parents,
William and Elizabeth Hooper, of Charleston, Illinois,
for their continued belief in everything I do.
And to the staff oj^Booklist magazine at the American Library
Association—my professional "family"—for such spirited and
meaningful support of this project; in particular, Booklist
editor-in-chief Bill Ott for granting me a sabbatical leave to finish it.
And to Brendan Driscoll, buddy and muse, whose encouraging
voice I heard in my ear as I wrote every sentence.
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Contents
1. An IntroductionI 1
2. Gilchrist's Short Story Debut (In the Land of Dreamy Dreams) 9
3. Gilchrist's First Novel (The Annunciation) 31
4. Short Story Successes (Victory over Japan, Drunk with Love 41
5. Slight of Hand (The Anna Papers, I Cannot Get
You Close Enough 61
6. More Visits with Recurrent Characters (Light Can Be Both
Wave and Particle 73
7. Two Hits and a Miss (Net of Jewels, Starcarbon, Anabasi 83
8. Hitting Her Stride in Stories and Novels (Age of Miracles,
Rhoda, Courts of Love, Sarah Conl 99
9. Even More Story Collections (Flights of Angels, The Cabal
and Other Stories) 123
10. Ellen Gilchrist's Contribution and Further Evidence
of Her Talent (Collected Stories and /, Rhoda Manning,
Go Hunting with My Daddy 13
Conclusion 147
Notes 151
Bibliography 163
Index 165
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Chapter I
An Introduction
A FRIEND AND I, after attending a national conference of librarians held in
New Orleans in January 1998, took a five-day car trip to the Louisiana plan
tation country and then up into Mississippi. Our primary destination was
Natchez, where we would spend most of our time. I have an abiding interest
in southern history and literature, perhaps a product of early environmental
influence, since my birthplace was Vandalia, Illinois, which actually is
located south of what would be a continuation of the Mason Dixon Line if
drawn farther westward. Vandalia (the second capital of the state; Spring
field, the current one, is the third town to hold that distinction) lies nestled
nearly forgotten in southern Illinois, which topographically and even cultur
ally, linguistically, and historically has ties to the upper South, as if the blue
Ohio simply did not exist as a geographical division between North
South.
Given my interest in southern culture, Natchez had for years been on
my list of necessary places to visit; and now I had the opportunity. By popu
lation, as I quickly learned during the travel planning stage, Natchez ranks as
only a middle-size town in today's world, not a city at all; its historical signif
icance, of course, extends well beyond its modest population. My traveling
companion and I left New Orleans in early afternoon; we approached
Natchez from the southeast, driving through the cool, clear January dusk,
through lush, dark green pine forests. The car engine purred as we negotiated
the road's slight rises and descents, drawing nearer to the town and, as if by
the gravitational pull, to the great river itself. We entered the city limits just
after nightfall and headed to the central business district, to the venerable hotel