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Harrison Solow
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Felicity and Barbara Pym Paperback – 9 Jun. 2010

by Harrison Solow (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

How to describe Felicity & Barbara PymIt s about literature. It s about reading. It s about writing. It s about becoming educated, about not assuming things aren t happening just because you don t see them happening, about not ever believing that language is a true vehicle for communication and it s about knowing that sometimes, in order to get a true education, you have to turn to your butcher.

A beautifully observed blend between fiction and non-fiction, Harrison Solow s book is written as a series of letters from teacher Mallory Cooper to her student Felicity, as she discovers Pym s work. In their letters to each other, narrator and student discuss and debate British literary fiction and discover together, and through Felicity s eyes we are treated to a fresh view of our favourite novelists: George Eliot, Jane Austen, D. H. Lawrence and, of course, Barbara Pym.
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  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cinnamon Press
  4. Publication date
    9 Jun. 2010
  5. Dimensions
    13.4 x 1.6 x 19.7 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1907090118
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1907090110
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Review

A literary non-fiction that has its roots in Harrison Solow’s own search as a student for “a jumble of seemingly unrelated facts or principles can coalesce into a magnificently unified microcosm”. Felicity is the silent student who exists with “happy disregard” of centuries of interrelated scholarship intrinsic to a liberal arts education, including a disregard for the tools of study and a blithe preoccupation with the present.
************************************ "A splendid book! Original, controversial, academic, readable, serious, light-hearted, sensible, charming... the treasures of a cultured mind...everyone who has ever found enjoyment in reading, will be grateful for this delightful work. I loved it..." Hazel Holt, Literary Executor of the Barbara Pym Estate, author of the Barbara Pym’s biography, A Lot to Ask: A Life of Barbara Pym and editor (with Hilary Pym) of Barbara Pym’s unpublished work, Civil to Strangers and Other Writings; leading crime novelist, best known for her 20 “Mrs Malory” books and her recent epistolary novel, My Dear Charlotte, based on Jane Austen’s letters.
"It should be mandatory reading for all undergraduate students of English Literature; no American students of English Literature should be allowed to set foot upon campus without having proved that they have read it..." Peter Miles, Emeritus Fellow of the English Association
"Dryden, a great writer as well as a great critic, created a work of art about works of art. Harrison Solow, in her incisive and delightful study of the novels of Barbara Pym has accomplished a similar feat." Mayo Simon, New York playwright, writer of Academy Award winning film, Why Man Creates, lecturer in drama and film writing at Columbia University and California Institute of the Arts, author of The Audience & The Playwright, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2005
“A terrific piece of writing - I would order it for all first year and second year English students” Dr. Thomas Strychacz, Full Professor, Former Dean of Letters, Chair, English Department, Mills College, Former Lecturer at Princeton University, Author of Modernism, Mass Culture, and Professionalism, Cambridge University Press, 1993.
" these ruminations offer unexpected insights that would escape a more mundane critic... a dazzling performance and it fills me with the most exquisite professional envy!" Thomas Vinciguerra, Deputy Editor of The Week, New York; Contributing Writer, The New York Times.
"... a dramatic monologue which reveals how a life spent reading and thinking about literature has directed consciousness and informed the content of the thinking mind...A fascinating, intriguing presentation, which demands a sequel" Dr. Christopher Terry, Examiner for Cambridge University, Scholar at Downing College Cambridge, reviewer for the Times Higher Education Supplement, author of The Ogre of Downing Castle, Revisited: Recollections of Dr F. R. Leavis and Morris Shapira, Libertas Publishing, 2009. -- Publisher: Cinnamon Press

About the Author

American writer Harrison Solow has received many awards for her literary fiction. She lives in California with her husband, Herbert F. Solowand their two sons.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cinnamon Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 9 Jun. 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1907090118
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1907090110
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 211 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.4 x 1.6 x 19.7 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 3,410,011 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    3.2 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

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Harrison Solow

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3.2 out of 5 stars
6 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • S Jones
    4.0 out of 5 stars Be aware of what you're buying!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I can understand why this book provokes some extreme reactions. Many will have become aware of it through reading Barbara Pym's novels and come expecting something, I suspect, similar in style.
    In fact, it represents the correspondence from "Mallory Cooper" (who appears to be a thinly disguised version of the author*) to "Felicity", an American student about to embark on an English Literature degree and who has been given a paper to write on Barbara Pym. The format is very similar to CS Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters", and like Wormwood in that book, we never meet Felicity but form a picture of her through Mallory's letters to her (I imagine her as an modern version of Flora Cleveland from "Jane and Prudence"). As with CS Lewis, Mallory Cooper could be considered quite reactionary - or traditional, depending on your own view - given her stated views on the various 'modern' theories of teaching of English, current academic standards and the mass expansion of student numbers.
    Felicity, it appears, doesn't like or understand Pym's work, and through the book Mallory's letters explain to her the social, economic and cultural context of the books - via chapters entitled "Silly Men", "Mousy Women" and "Tea". For many modern readers, especially not from the UK, understanding this is vital to appreciate some of the nuances and humour in Pym's novels.
    However, it's worth stressing that this isn't in any way a "heavy" or theoretical tome. It's fairly short, and the tone is light and chatty throughout - I read it completely in the course of a couple of train journeys. There are some amusing digressions into aspects of Mallory's life in the film industry, with a couple of one-liners that would be worthy of Barbara Pym herself.
    Overall, I'd recommend it as a companion piece to Barbara Pym's novels, or as a light introduction for anyone thinking of studying English Literature at degree level. Just be aware that you're not buying a Barbara Pym-type novel.

    *I say "appears to be" since it's one of the great debates in literature - does a fictional character who seems to possess many of the same attributes as the author actually represent the author herself
    Edit - since publishing this review, Harrison Solow has forwarded me this link which seems to answer that final question: http://redroom.com/member/harrison-solow/blog/felicitous-encounters-an-interview-with-harrison-solow-a-red-room-exclusi
    2 people found this helpful
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  • gabriel mendoza
    1.0 out of 5 stars Nothing to do with Barbara Pym
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This book is awful.
    Barbara Pym would be embarrassed by this. It consists of one side of a correspondence between a student and an academic who constantly talks down to her and boasts of her own achievements.
    She knows a man who has had work published in Hebrew,Yiddish, Aramaic and Russian and is a 'deep and elevated soul' when he talks in English. Good for her but not much to do with Barbara Pym.
    She also knows lots of people in Hollywood.95% of these acquaintances are 'highly dedicated and talented people'. I am sure they are but nothing to do with Barbara Pym.
    Even if you have a barge-pole: Stay Away!
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Jules Jacob
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tour de Force
    Reviewed in the United States on 5 June 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Harrison Solow's creative genius is apparent, and cleverly cloaked in her genre-defying novel Felicity & Barbara Pym. The story is told through Professor Mallory Cooper's one-sided correspondence with her student Felicity, who's considering a liberal arts degree without considering the context of literature. Felicity is intrigued by her esteemed professor's extraordinary life, and her own media-bottled notions of Hollywood.

    Professor Cooper employs the novels of underrated English author, Barbara Pym, and a cornucopia of witty, erudite opinions and subjects--weak male characters, engaging word derivations, mousy women, academic posers, religious assumptions, prejudiced poetry, the significance of clothing in novels and the intangibility of fame--to entice (and boot) Felicity out of her teenage, literary and literal status quo.

    Harrison Solow removes the reader's literary boundaries without the reader realizing she's placed an eraser in their hand. Felicity & Barbara Pym is a proof of the unification theory Solow refers to in the book's preface in which "seemingly unrelated facts or principles can coalesce into a magnificently unified microcosm, wherein all components balance beautifully, harmoniously and usefully with the application of appreciation to knowledge."

    Readers of all levels and circumstance will want to keep a pad of paper and pencil handy while reading Felicity & Barbara Pym. Long after they've finished the novel, the majority will still be on Solow's tuition-free, DIY literary tour de force.
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  • Catherine Nagle
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating! Brilliant! A beautiful read to cherish!
    Reviewed in the United States on 12 June 2013
    Verified Purchase
    " Felicity & Barbara Pym stimulates its readers to read with attention and to write with grace, poise and sophistication. The author's appealing style of communication with her readers illuminates new philosophies that are certain to shepherd them on to higher achievements. You will find yourself inside the pages of this unusual book and thrilled with their depth and precision. Harrison Solow's years of experience and meticulous study bring readers straight to the head of their class with dazzling elegance, instilling a confidence in language and literature that both readers and writers will cherish. You'll be entertained, and at the same time able to comprehend the highest levels of academia and writing from Dr. Solow's incredible prose."

    Catherine Nagle, Author of Imprinted Wisdom
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  • Katmeis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Felicity and Barbara Pym
    Reviewed in the United States on 5 October 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is a brilliant journey into the mind and soul of a witty and wise intellectual who, through a series of letters, tries to inspire a love of Barbara Pym's literature in a reluctant student, Felicity. Solow's no nonsense Professor Mallory (who has much in common with the author) is a force to be reckoned with. She is frank, funny and highly engaging. I finished the book wishing she might appear in a one-woman show on Broadway. You will laugh, ponder and, if you're like me, probably end up reading Barbara Pym after enjoying this fabulous book.
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