Susan Hill, A Bit of Singing and Dancing

Gina Wisker (University of Brighton)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1973

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Story Collection

Resources

Susan Hill's short story collection A Bit of Singing and Dancing deals with familiar themes of isolation, ostensibly nurturing relationships, hidden secrets. One tale concentrates on the inability of a pair of women friends to recognise that their need for each other is mutual. The weaker widow at the foot of the hill in the seaside town is supported by her strong friend at the top of the hill. Together they set up a successful business and relationship, one selling, the other doing the books and the domestic work. A small slight from a relative sends the widow into isolation, rejecting her friend's companionship. She internalises others' views of her life as pointless, determined to break the relationship and make something of …

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358 words

Citation: Wisker, Gina. "A Bit of Singing and Dancing". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 March 2001 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7264, accessed 27 November 2024.]

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