The Pastor's Wife

By Elizabeth von Arnim

Book Overview

"The Pastor's Wife" by Elizabeth von Arnim delves into the complexities of marriage and rural life through the lens of a woman navigating the restrictive social expectations placed upon her. This compelling work of literary fiction explores the experiences of a pastor's wife, offering a poignant commentary on the challenges faced by women in fulfilling their roles within the community.

Von Arnim's insightful narrative examines the nuances of relationships and the pressures exerted by societal norms, themes that resonate across generations. A study in character and circumstance, "The Pastor's Wife" presents a timeless depiction of life, love, and the search for individual fulfillment amidst a backdrop of established traditions. This meticulously prepared edition offers readers a renewed opportunity to experience this classic work.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023171538
• ISBN13: 9781023171533
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant Feminist Novel

The Pastor's Wife has been called witty and perceptive, but it goes much farther than that. Just under the surface of Von Arnim's witty, civilized prose lies a fiercely brilliant feminist novel, burning with quiet rage. Von Arnim details every step of the way by which a well-meaning English innocent, hoping only to live her dream of freedom, finds herself inescapably entrapped. A terrifying,subversive, wonderful book. It's a shock to realize this novel was written almost a hundred years ago.

Von Arnim's witty portrayal of fin-de-siecle married life.

This is one of Von Arnim's very best novels, full of surprising wit and sometimes caustic criticism of the lonely existence of an intelligent British woman in a turn-of-the-century aristocratic German household. In particular, the childbirth scenes are chilling, and reminiscent of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper, though Von Arnim typically treats the topic with more humor. The ending is as brilliant as those of her contemporary Edith Wharton.