Social Dimensions in the Novels of Barbara Pym, 1949-1963: The Writer As Hidden Observer

This study considers the six novels written by English novelist, Barbara Pym (1913-1980), between 1949 and 1963, which demonstrate the response of a specific class of people, represented by her heroines, to the dramatic social, cultural and demographic changes that took place in Britain at the time. Treating Pym s 1950s novels as social-historical sources, this work attempts to analyze the way in which her portrayals of society, like those of so many other English writers, served both as testimonies and critiques of the times in which she lived. The focal point of Pym s novels was the interaction between the individual and the community: the Church, the parish or the work place. Therefore, this book attempts to reconstruct the social world of the female protagonists, moving from the public to the private domain, thereby opening up Pym s novels to a new generation of readers.