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The Old Wives' Tale is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's shop, into old age. It is generally regarded as one of Bennett's finest works. It covers a period of about 70 years from roughly 1840 to 1905, and is set in Burslem and Paris. Arnold Bennett, British novelist Enoch Arnold Bennett (May 27, 1867-March 27, 1931) was a British novelist. ...
In political geography and international politics a country is a geographical entity, a territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ...
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Chapman and Hall was a British publishing house, founded in the first half of the 19th century by Edward Chapman and William Hall. ...
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A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ...
Arnold Bennett, British novelist Enoch Arnold Bennett (May 27, 1867-March 27, 1931) was a British novelist. ...
1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...
The town of Burslem known as the Mother Town is one of those that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England. ...
City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ...
Bennett was initially inspired to write the book by a chance encounter in a Parisian restaurant. In the introduction to the book, he says
...an old woman came into the restaurant to dine. She was fat, shapeless, ugly, and grotesque. She had a ridiculous voice, and ridiculous gestures. It was easy to see that she lived alone, and that in the long lapse of years she had developed the kind of peculiarity which induces guffaws among the thoughtless. and I reflected, concerning the grotesque diner: "This woman was once young, slim, perhaps beautiful; certainly free from these ridiculous mannerisms. Very probably she is unconscious of her singularities. Her case is a tragedy. One ought to be able to make a heartrending novel out of the history of a woman such as she." Every stout, ageing woman is not grotesque--far from it!--but there is an extreme pathos in the mere fact that every stout ageing woman was once a young girl with the unique charm of youth in her form and movements and in her mind. And the fact that the change from the young girl to the stout ageing woman is made up of an infinite number of infinitesimal changes, each unperceived by her, only intensifies the pathos. Bennett also found inspiration in Maupassant´s novel "Une Vie". [1] Henri-René-Albert-Guy de Maupassant (IPA: ɡi də mopasɑ̃) (August 5, 1850 - July 6, 1893) was a French writer. ...
Plot details The book is broken up into four parts. The first section, "Mrs Baines" details the adolescence of both Sophia and Constance, and their life in their father's shop and house (a combined property)[2]. The father is ill and bedridden, and the main adult in their life is Mrs Baines, their mother.
By the end of the first book, Sophia (whose name reflects her sophistication, as opposed to the constant Constance) has eloped with a traveling salesman. Constance meanwhile marries Mr Povey, who works in the shop. To elope, most literally, merely means to run away. ...
The second part, "Constance", details the life of Constance from that point forward up until the time she is reunited with her sister in old age. Her life, although outwardly prosaic, is nevertheless filled with personal incident, including the death of her husband, Mr Povey, and her concerns about the character and behaviour of her son.
The third part, "Sophia", carries forward the story of what happened to Sophia after her elopement. Abandoned by her husband in Paris, Sophia eventually becomes the owner of a successful pension. A pension is a family-owned owned guesthouse. ...
The final part, "What Life Is", details how the two sisters are eventually reunited. Sophia returns to England and the house of her childhood, where Constance still lives.
Trivia A facsimile edition of the manuscript has been published, which is a testament to Bennett´s calligraphic skills. The original manuscript is in the Lilly Library, Indiana. Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area Ranked 38th - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²) - Width 140 miles (225 km) - Length 270 miles (435 km) - % water 1. ...
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