Anne Tyler's use of religion and fortunetelling in three novels

Date

5/30/1987

Authors

Bray, Nancy C.

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine Anne Tyler's use of religion and fortunetelling in her novels. In determining my conclusion, I read all ten of Anne Tyler's novels and discovered that fortunetelling appears significantly in the plots of Searching for Caleb and Earthly Possessions. These two novels, plus The Clock Winder, also contain ministers. Therefore, I chose these three novels for my study. Additionally, I found that no other researcher has researched my topic. Previous Tyler researchers emphasize Tyler's theme of the family and her use of eccentric characters. Tyler's recognized identity and fascination with isolates appear in her choice of the practitioners of religion and fortunetelling in the three novels above. Tyler combines diction, satire, and logic with plots involving ministers, their families and congregations, and fortunetellers to show that the answers to life's problems come from those who feel, not from those who are ritualistic.

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Keywords

Anne Tyler, American literature, Language, literature, and linguistics

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