James Purdy, Children Is All

Martin Kich (Wright State University)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

This collection includes ten short stories and two plays. For the most part, these works focus on very ordinary characters confronting emotional crises or unexpected revelations. The psychological resources that they can bring to the situations they face are, however, so limited that they can respond only eccentrically or obliquely. In tone, the stories range from the unsettling to the absurdly pathetic to the lightly comic.

“Daddy Wolf” is a variation on Nathanael West's Miss Lonelyhearts. Daddy Wolf is a radio version of the advice columnist, but, instead of giving us the story from the point of view of the person giving the advice, Purdy presents his story from the point of view of the person seeking it. The main character's wife had previously consulted with Daddy Wolf because her

1213 words

Citation: Kich, Martin. "Children Is All". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 June 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6047, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6047 Children Is All 3 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.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.