The Last September

In the novel, The Last September, Elizabeth Bowen describes specific events and displays extreme emotions that many people would think could only be expressed from personal experience. Elizabeth would put characteristics of her childhood and teenager years into the life of Lois, one of the main characters in the book. Her life was full of trials and tribulations and she shared that throughout her novel. I believe that Elizabeth Bowen wrote this novel from her own personal experience, especially through Lois Farquar. As stated by the author Phyllis Lassner, “Bowen’s conception of her family home is reconstituted in the relationship between Danielstown and its residents”(Lassner 27). Elizabeth Bowen’s books portray moments in her life:

In The Last September, Miss Bowen’s first important novel, she deals directly with the crisis of being Anglo-Irish at a time of national crisis, called the Troubles. Just as her early stories were written about her childhood at the time of her transition to adulthood, this work, too, marks another stage of transition in her life. (Kenny 61)

Elizabeth Bowen’s life is portrayed through the characters and setting of her book The Last September.

Elizabeth Bowen was born in 1899. She lived most

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Her father had a mental illness so she was unable to stay with him. She has been through many trials and has written many great novels because of those trials. The author Edwin Kenny stated:

Her sense of Ireland was not a literary or intellectual one of revived myths and celebrated national heroes; Ireland always existed for her literally in the land itself and in the image of Bowen’s Court, behind its demesne walls, at the end of a long avenue, set on the land in its circle of trees. Lois would dream of traveling the world, which was probably Elizabeth’s dream too.

In conclusion, Elizabeth Bowen has reflected her life on her characters for the reader to hear her life story. Elizabeth’s father died when she was in her 20s and she inherited the family estate, Bowen’s Court, where she lived alone for about eight years (Kenny 31-32). Being a teenager in a huge house with people twice her own age could be quite dull when she wanted something to do. Also, Elizabeth Bowen’s childhood and her opinion of the Anglo-Irish helped to mold her view of life (Kenny 61). Elizabeth is telling the story of her life almost directly through Lois’ character. (Kenny 61)

Elizabeth Bowen’s vivid descriptions of Ireland allowed the reader to feel like he or she is there with the characters. She decided that she would even marry a man she did not truly love because he could take her away from Danielstown. When creating and describing the setting for The Last September, she would remember Ireland’s setting.

Considering that Elizabeth was in her early teens when her mother died and she was sent to live with other family members, she knows how to depict Lois’ boredom and desire to escape. of her life in England with her mother. She would create such characters to free her from the guilt she was facing:

[Imagining Bowen’s Court being burnt] was the risk Miss Bowen had to accept with her inheritance of the house, the burden of its inherited guilt.

Approximate Word count = 1021
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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