| Since Elizabeth Bowen is a growing figure in the literary canon, there is much that has yet to be discussed concerning her work. For instance, critics are only now beginning to question how to classify her work in terms of existing categories and periods. This thesis proposes that Bowen should be considered a modernist writer not only for her idiosyncratic style that reflects the modernist writings of her contemporaries, but also, and more importantly, for the existential concerns and themes that arise in her novels. As parallel movements that developed together and responded to the same events from the last decade of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century, existentialism and modernism share concerns, themes, and ideas. By using an existential lens, we can establish that Bowen is dealing with the same existential issues that are prevalent throughout modernism.
Key Words: Elizabeth Bowen, The Last September, The House in Paris, The Heat of the Day, |