Margaret Laurence

Tanya Butler
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Jean Margaret Wemyss was born in the small prairie town of Neepawa, Manitoba, on July 18, 1926, to a middle-class family of Lowland Scots and Irish descent. Her mother, Verna Simpson Wemyss, a music teacher, died when Laurence was four and her father, Robert Wemyss, a lawyer, died when she was ten. Despite the fact that Laurence was raised by a loving aunt (who became her stepmother), her fiction's concern with themes of disinheritance, dispossession, roots, and orphanage testifies to the long-lasting effect her parents' deaths had on her. After her father's death, Laurence and her family lived with her maternal grandfather, John Simpson, whose autocratic and repressive character made a deep impression on the sensitive child, an impression partially manifested in the character of Timothy…

1150 words

Citation: Butler, Tanya. "Margaret Laurence". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 November 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2630, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2630 Margaret Laurence 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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