Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym

n their tenth episode, Steven and Alex explore the trials and tribulations of the autumnal stage of life in their discussion of Barbara Pym's Booker Prize short-listed novel, 'Quartet in Autumn'. Topics examined include: Does the office quartet, with their hesitancy about getting involved in each other's lives, suggest that human beings in general are somewhat reclusive?; What is each character's blind spot and how does it relate to the themes of loneliness, isolation and moral responsibility?; How does Pym portray the challenges of retirement and why might it be a difficult phase of life for so many?; How does the theme of self-deception relate to the ethical question of our responsibility towards others?; What is the significance of the novel's conclusion? How realistic was she in portraying the characters' futures?

Further Resources:

• A copy of the novel (with an excellent introduction by Alexander McCall Smith) can be purchased from Amazon UK here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quartet-Autumn-Picador-Barbara-Pym-ebook/dp/B00XUELE8K/ref=sr_1_1?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1649792459&refinements=p_27%3Apym%2Cp_28%3Aquartet&s=books&sr=1-1&unfiltered=1
• A recent good biography of Pym: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Miss-Barbara-Pym-ebook/dp/B08KFVRCQP/ref=sr_1_1?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1649792552&refinements=p_28%3ABarbara+Pym&s=books&sr=1-1&unfiltered=1
• An academic study that shows how Pym's humour undermines the orthodoxies of patriarchal society: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rhetoric-Barbara-Fiction-Studies-Literatures-ebook/dp/B08WKFCFH7/ref=sr_1_9?Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.x=0&Adv-Srch-Books-Submit.y=0&__mk_en_GB=%C3%85M%C3%85Z%C3%95%C3%91&qid=1649792649&refinements=p_28%3ABarbara+Pym&s=books&sr=1-9&unfiltered=1
• Here is an opportunity to hear Pym discuss her Desert Island choices: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mykr