Margaret Laurence's short story composite, "A bird in the house" : a thematic and formal reading

Abstract

Margaret Laurence s (1926-1987) short story composite, A Bird in the House (1970), is a work of fictionalized autobiography, reminiscent of Laurence s own struggles as a writer growing up on the Canadian prairies in a world dominated by a patriarchal system, a culture full of myths about the past, and a need to find her own voice. One reason to study A Bird in the House is that is has been largely neglected by critics compared to Laurence s other Manawaka texts. This work is a superb example of contemporary Canadian writing as well as the short story composite sub-genre. Chapter one of this thesis aims to examine the thematic concerns of A Bird in the House and the ways in which these themes manifest themselves in the text. In the second chapter questions of structure are brought up using Narrative Theory as a basis for discussion. Shlomith Rimmon-Kenan s book "Narrative Fiction is the main text used, specifically the chapters dealing with levels of narration, narrative voice, focalization, and time. It is through the examination of these specific aspects of Narrative Theory that the structural complexity of A Bird in the House is revealed. The third and final chapter deals with the question of genre. The genre category under which A Bird in the House falls has not always been clear to critics. In chapter three I use short story theory, specifically the work of Rolf Lundén and John Gerlach, to examine the present state of short story theory, composite theory, and to consider the extent to which this work qualifies as a short story composite.