Mavis Gallant's stories delve into the experiences of marginalized individuals, especially women, such as orphans and exiles. Her narrative style often emphasizes feelings of isolation and emotional disconnection, showcasing characters who feel unimportant and unloved. Russell Banks, in his introduction to 'Varieties of Exile,' notes that short stories uniquely resonate with those who experience loneliness. Gallantâs work evokes a pervasive sense of existential isolation, a hallmark of her short stories that are collected into various editions, including her latest work, 'The Uncollected Stories.' Gallant's writing style is marked by a moody tone that captures the essence of human disconnection and longing.
"Gallant indeed wrote almost exclusively about the marginals of the world: the orphaned and the exiled; the abandoned and the uprooted; the people who, like the protagonist of her story 'New Year's Eve,' feel that they are forever being deposited in a place 'where there was no one to talk to' and one 'was not loved.'"
"The aloneness in Gallant's writing is often not so much stated as implied. It hovers in the air, creates an atmosphere whose absence of emotional connection is often experienced as existential-an isolation so penetrating, it seems inborn."
"This sense of things is central to her writing. It comes not through character or plot development so much as through a tone of voice difficult to analyze but distinctly present: moody, profoundly withholding, with a feeling that humanity in general is destined-yes, perhaps even before birth-to straddle an inner fault line that short-circuits whatever drive is necessary to make a life feel achieved."
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