The Nature Of Solitude In The Novels Of Anita Brookner

Before embarking upon writing novels, British novelist Anita Brookner hadestablished herself as a well-known art historian and published several books in arthistory. In1981, at the age of53, Anita Brookner published her first novel. So far,she has created24novels. H tel du Lac, published in1984, won her the prestigiousBooker Prize.Anita Brookner is famous for her exploration of the lives of single intellecturalwomen. The solitude of single women is at the center of her works. When faced withreality, these women can t adapt to society smoothly because of the influences fromthe family, society and themselves. They want to marry and long for happiness, butreality fails them by making them ill-equipped for the attainment of such things.They adhere to certain moral codes, only to find that the reality doesn t appreciatethese things anymore. They are good listeners and observers, not participants. Theywander at the periphery of society and live solitary lives.This thesis focuses on five books of Anita Brookner, namely Look at Me, H tel duLac, Undue Influence, The Bay of Angels and Leaving Home. Through detailedreading of these five books, this thesis aims to explore the solitude in these books.On one hand, for the heroines, the solitude seems an inevitability of their life sincethey can t claim to helpful family members, friends and lovers. On the other hand, tosome extent, this solitude makes them own dignity, autonomy and independence forwhich they sacrifice a lot.