Emma Tennant, Sisters and Strangers

Gina Wisker (University of Brighton)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.3: Scottish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1990

Places

Scotland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Sisters and Strangers (1990) is a moral 'everywoman' tale which utilises the forms of oral storytelling and parable to enlighten two young girls about the possibilities and the limitations of women's lives. The novel begins with Grandmother Dummer, erstwhile witch-like storytelling relative to Elsie and the narrator. She moves beyond the traditional tales of “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Frog Prince” into a fairy story for grown ups, following the cautionary tale of Eve and Adam, contemporary young marrieds in London. The move begins in romantic fiction/fairytale form: “There once was a woman who was so ridiculously happy that she hardly dared go out into the world. She had found love, you see” (p.10). Eve has …

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

430 words

Citation: Wisker, Gina. "Sisters and Strangers". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 October 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2038, accessed 27 November 2024.]

Save this article