''Philip and His Wife'' is a
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by the American writer
Margaret Deland
Margaret Deland (born Margaretta Wade Campbell; February 23, 1857 – January 13, 1945) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet. She also wrote an autobiography in two volumes. She generally is considered part of the literary ...
(1857–1945) set in the 19th century fictional locale of Old Chester, a fictional
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...
rural village near
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
.
Overview
The novel tells the story of Philip and Cecil Shore, whose marriage is a failure, and the book explores the complications of divorce and morality among the middle classes.
The novel was first published in installments in ''
The Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' from January through October 1894.
The book features the first appearance of Deland's character Dr. Lavendar, who ultimately appears in six of her books.
The theme of divorce was a controversial one in the mid 1890s when the book was published and a bold choice by Deland for her third novel. The story does not provide a resolution for the couple seeking divorce but does carefully trace their unhappiness, which is veiled through the mask of conventional attitudes of the period.
[Barnett, James Harwood. ''Divorce and the American Divorce Novel, 1858–1937: A Study of Literary Reflections of Social Influences''. Philadelphia: The University of Pennsylvania, 1939: 105.]
References
Further reading
*
External links
*''Philip and His Wife'' (1894)
Internet Archive e-text
1894 American novels
Novels set in Pennsylvania
Novels first published in serial form
Works originally published in The Atlantic (magazine)
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