The Girls of Slender Means

Questions About The Girls of Slender Means

by Muriel Spark

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Including this novel, why was it that Spark produced a series of titles that were pretty much the identical length, which ranges 140-150 pages (in this edition for example)? Was it due to a contract she was under or a particular style she adhered to?
Martin McCandlish Muriel Spark was a master of the short story form, and although she is arguably better known for her longer pieces (The Drivers Seat, Prime of Miss Je…moreMuriel Spark was a master of the short story form, and although she is arguably better known for her longer pieces (The Drivers Seat, Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Girls of Slender Means) this may be attributed to them being more easily adapted to screen and stage thus entering the public consciousness rather than them being regarded as superior works.

There's an efficiency and briskness in her writing which lends itself to shorter pieces such as the short story form and novelette, which may answer why several of her titles are within the range you highlighted.

Also, being part of the modernist school of writing meant Spark was more interested in language and constructed narrative than she was with the plot, hence the time-shifting and existential leanings in most of her work, which again lends itself to shorter pieces which eradicate extraneous detail. (less)
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