Hidden Possibilities: Essays in Honor of Muriel Spark

by Robert E. Hosmer Jr. (Editor)

Overview

Described by David Lodge as “the most gifted and innovative writer of her generation,” Muriel Spark had a literary career that spanned from the late 1940s until her death in 2006, and included poems, stories, plays, essays, and, most notably, novels. The extensive bibliography of her works included in this collection reveals the astonishing output of a powerful and sustained creative spirit.

Hidden Possibilities gathers a distinguished group of writers from both sides of the Atlantic to offer an informed overview of Muriel Spark’s life and work. Critics have often read Spark in a somewhat narrow context—as a Catholic, a woman, or a Scottish writer. The essays in this volume, while making connections between these contexts, cumulatively situate her in a broader European tradition. The volume includes interviews with Spark that cast light both on the course of her professional life and on her notably distinctive personality.

Contributors: Regina Barreca, Gerard Carruthers, Barbara Epler, John Glavin, Dan Gunn, Robert E. Hosmer Jr., Joseph Hynes, Gabriel Josipovici, Frank Kermode, John Lanchester, Doris Lessing, David Malcolm, John Mortimer, Alan Taylor, and John Updike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268206291
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	08/15/2022
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.81(d)

About the Author

Robert E. Hosmer Jr. is senior lecturer in the Department of English Language and Literature at Smith College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction Robert E. Hosmer Jr. 1

Biographical Note: Muriel Camberg Spark (1918-2006) 11

The Work

1 The Large Testimony of Muriel Spark Gabriel Josipovici 17

2 Muriel Spark's Fiction: A Context Joseph Hynes 36

3 "A Spirit of Vast Endurance": Muriel Spark, Poet and Novelist Robert E. Hosmer Jr. 51

4 Breaking Free of the Grave: Muriel Spark's Uses of Humor and the Supernatural Regina Barreca 71

5 "Fully to Savour Her Position": Muriel Spark and Scottish Identity Gerard Carruthers 86

6 Unrivalled Deftness: The Novels of Muriel Spark Frank Kermode 107

7 The Lightness of Muriel Spark's Novels Dan Gunn 119

8 Muriel Spark and the Peters Pan John Glavin 144

9 Elliptical and Inconsequential Ladies: Muriel Spark, Jane Bowles, Penelope Fitzgerald, and the texte contestant David Malcolm 160

10 Stonewalling Toffs John Updike 182

11 In Sparkworld John Lanchester 187

The Life

12 Muriel Spark: Scottish by Formation Alan Taylor 199

13 Now You See Her, Now You Don't Doris Lessing 212

14 The Culture of an Anarchist: An Interview with Muriel Spark John Mortimer 220

15 "Fascinated by Suspense": An Interview with Dame Muriel Spark Robert E. Hosmer Jr. 277

16 "Now I Know They Want Me Back-Stage" Barbara Epler 256

Bibliography of Works by Muriel Spark 265

Notes on Contributors 275

Index 280

Editorial Reviews

"Hidden Possibilities combines solid scholarship with engaging personal tributes that, collectively, offer an unabashed celebration of Muriel Spark and her work. The essays are a significant addition to full-length studies of Spark while remaining accessible to Spark's fans and readers." —Margaret E. Mitchell, University of West Georgia

"I teach Spark in undergraduate British literature and women's literature courses. This book would be very useful to my students, and is really an ideal collection for undergraduates in that it demonstrates the breadth of critical approaches to an author's work. In short, I think this is the rare book that would have crossover appeal to a general and scholarly audience and would be particularly useful for undergraduates or readers just being introduced to Spark's oeuvre." —Julie Nash, University of Massachusetts Lowell

". . . A satisfyingly eclectic mixture [of essays]. If the first section provides some much-needed sustained critical appreciation of Spark's literary genius, the woman herself is brought wonderfully to life in the final essays . . .". —Times Literary Supplement

"Hosmer has assembled a distinguished mix of academics and notable popular authors (e.g., John Updike and Doris Lessing) to address various aspects of Spark's vast bibliography and how her life informed her work . . . the contributors present a fairly well-rounded and informed perspective on Spark's oeuvre. Perhaps the strongest points of the volume are the interviews with Spark, in which her passion for writing and her remarkable wit are center stage." —Library Journal

“An extraordinary collection, ‘Hidden Possibilities: Essays in Honor of Muriel Spark’ is very highly recommended reading and an essential addition to academic library Literary Studies reference and study collections.” —The Midwest Book Review

". . . an excellent new collection of critical responses to the Scottish-born author's work." —BookForum

From the Publisher

[A]n excellent new collection of critical responses to the Scottish-born author’s work . . .”.

BookForum

. . . A satisfyingly eclectic mixture [of essays]. If the first section provides some much-needed sustained critical appreciation of Spark’s literary genius, the woman herself is brought wonderfully to life in the final essays . . .”.

Times Literary Supplement

05/01/2014
Hosmer (English, Smith Coll.) compiles essays and interviews that seek to examine author Muriel Spark (1918–2006) in a broader context than she is usually afforded when considered only on religious (as in her Catholic faith) and geographical (her Scottish origins) grounds. Hosmer has assembled a distinguished mix of academics and notable popular authors (e.g., John Updike and Doris Lessing) to address various aspects of Spark's vast bibliography and how her life informed her work (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie); also included are two interviews with Spark. The book does seem to take its subtitle to heart, however, and is oftentimes more interested in praising Spark's legacy—and defending it against minor slights from the critical community—than in presenting a more evenhanded evaluation of her prose. This is a minor distraction, though, and the contributors present a fairly well-rounded and informed perspective on Spark's oeuvre. Perhaps the strongest points of the volume are the interviews with Spark, in which her passion for writing and her remarkable wit are center stage. VERDICT This is primarily an academic volume and as a result is most recommended for specialists and scholars interested in Spark's work and life.—Ben Neal, Richland Lib., Columbia, SC

Library Journal