The Stone Angel
The Stone Angel, first published in 1964 by McClelland and Stewart, is perhaps the best-known of Margaret Laurence's series of novels set in the fictitious town of Manawaka, Manitoba. In parallel narratives set in the past and the present-day (early 1960s), The Stone Angel tells the story of Hagar Currie Shipley. In the present-day narrative, 90-year-old Hagar is struggling against being put in a nursing home, which she sees as a symbol of death. The present-day narrative alternates with Hagar's looking back at her life.
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[edit] Plot summary
In a series of vignettes, The Stone Angel tells the story of Hagar Shipley, a 90-year old woman struggling to come to grips with a life of intransigence and loss. "Pride was my wilderness, the demon that led me there was fear."
[edit] Literary significance and criticism
Amongst other titles by Laurence, The Stone Angel is consistently listed as one of the greatest Canadian novels ever written.[1] It has also been banned by some school boards and high schools, usually following complaints from fundamentalist Christian groups labeling the book blasphemous and obscene.[2] Although The Stone Angel has been banned from some schools and public libraries; it is studied at the grade 12 university level in other schools.
[edit] Awards and recognition
- The Stone Angel was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by Leon Rooke.
- Made into movie The Stone Angel, filmed in Winnipeg and Hartney, Manitoba. Stars Ellen Burstyn.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.editoreric.com/greatlit/lit-Canadian.html
- ^ Archived CBC coverage regarding the banning of the book
[edit] External links
- http://www.thestoneangelmovie.com
- http://www.buffalogalpictures.com/production/film_production/the_stone_angel/
- List of challenged books in Canada
- Archived CBC coverage regarding the banning of the book
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