Anna of the Five Towns
Encyclopedia
Anna of the Five Towns is a novel
by Arnold Bennett
, first published in 1902 and one of his best-known works.
area of Staffordshire
, England. Her activities are strictly controlled by the Methodist
church. The novel tells of Anna's struggle for freedom and independence against her father's restraints, and her inward battle between wanting to please her father and wanting to help Willie Price whose father, Titus Price, commits suicide after falling into bankrupcy and debt. During the novel Anna is courted by the towns most eligible bachelor Henry Mynors, and agrees to be his wife, much to her young sister Agnes' pleasure. She discovers and the end, however, that she loves Willie Price, but does not follow her heart, as he is leaving for Australia, and she's already promised to Mynors. Willie then also commits suicide.Category:1902 novels
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Arnold Bennett
Arnold Bennett
- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
, first published in 1902 and one of his best-known works.
Plot summary
The plot centres on Anna Tellwright, daughter of a wealthy but miserly and dictatorial father, living in the PotteriesStoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
area of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England. Her activities are strictly controlled by the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
church. The novel tells of Anna's struggle for freedom and independence against her father's restraints, and her inward battle between wanting to please her father and wanting to help Willie Price whose father, Titus Price, commits suicide after falling into bankrupcy and debt. During the novel Anna is courted by the towns most eligible bachelor Henry Mynors, and agrees to be his wife, much to her young sister Agnes' pleasure. She discovers and the end, however, that she loves Willie Price, but does not follow her heart, as he is leaving for Australia, and she's already promised to Mynors. Willie then also commits suicide.Category:1902 novels