Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

Martin Kich (Wright State University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1971

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

In his long and distinguished career, Wallace Stegner wrote novels, histories and several books that bridged the two genres. In this multi-layered, exquisitely structured novel, he presents us with a historian’s attempt to come to terms with the truths of his own experience by reconstructing the pioneer experiences of his grandparents, who later raised him.

The historian, Lyman Ward, is the main character and primary narrator. Crippled by a degenerative arthritic condition that is calcifying his joints and has already caused the amputation of one of his legs, Lyman has become estranged from his wife, Ellen. He is assisted by a secretary, Shelley Rasmussen, and physically cared for by Ada Hawkes, a nurse and Shelley’s …

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658 words

Citation: Kich, Martin. "Angle of Repose". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6670, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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