Eudora Weltys The Bride of the Innisfallen :: Eudora Welty The Bride of the Innisfallen

Eudora Welty's The Bride of the Innisfallen Suzanne Marrs' critical essay, "Place and displaced in Eudora Welty's The Bride of the Innisfallen," makes the claim that "Welty's increased sense of self- confidence as a writer was a determining factor in the new patterns her stories would follow. [Welty's] travel, for extended periods and to faraway lands influenced her fiction in dramatic ways" (Marrs 1). This statement is true. Previously the setting for the majority of Welty's writing took place in the place she knew the best, her home. It seems that Welty was finally able to branch out and expand her horizons and not stay confined to areas which were familiar and comfortable for her to write about. The essay attempts to relate Welty's character Circe to Welty herself stating that "Circe desires to become a Welty-like wanderer and transcend the limited roles that have been available to her (4). While this seems to be a reasonable comparison, this is probably not what Welty was trying to accomplish. Many feel they have found Welty in many of her writings, but that is not unusual since the author is the one thinking of what the characters are going to do and say. Welty's characters may seem to be a shadow of her but if they are, or resemble Welty's life in any way, this is by accident and was not something Welty was trying to do on purpose. This is not to say that Welty does not draw from her experiences. "The Bride of the Innisfallen" draws from Welty's journey from London to Ireland (5). Authors almost always draw from their own experiences. Looking at Welty's earlier work this is apparent from her setting in Jackson, her hometown. Even though the setting may be familiar to her, this does not mean that the characters in the book are supposed to be her. Marrs says that in "Going to Naples" Welty wrote herself in a sense into the story. The comparison is made that like Welty the character Miss Crosby was an "unattached lady who could not speak a word of Italian"(5). True that Eudora Welty may be using the character of Miss Crosby to deal with her own personal experience, but more importantly Welty is drawing from new experiences to adapt to her writing. No matter how many similarities Miss Crosby is not Eudora Welty. Welty is simply writing about what she knows. Not to totally discredit all of Marrs' comparisons, there certainly are many areas Eudora Welty's The Bride of the Innisfallen :: Eudora Welty The Bride of the Innisfallen Eudora Welty's The Bride of the Innisfallen Suzanne Marrs' critical essay, "Place and displaced in Eudora Welty's The Bride of the Innisfallen," makes the claim that "Welty's increased sense of self- confidence as a writer was a determining factor in the new patterns her stories would follow. [Welty's] travel, for extended periods and to faraway lands influenced her fiction in dramatic ways" (Marrs 1). This statement is true. Previously the setting for the majority of Welty's writing took place in the place she knew the best, her home. It seems that Welty was finally able to branch out and expand her horizons and not stay confined to areas which were familiar and comfortable for her to write about. The essay attempts to relate Welty's character Circe to Welty herself stating that "Circe desires to become a Welty-like wanderer and transcend the limited roles that have been available to her (4). While this seems to be a reasonable comparison, this is probably not what Welty was trying to accomplish. Many feel they have found Welty in many of her writings, but that is not unusual since the author is the one thinking of what the characters are going to do and say. Welty's characters may seem to be a shadow of her but if they are, or resemble Welty's life in any way, this is by accident and was not something Welty was trying to do on purpose. This is not to say that Welty does not draw from her experiences. "The Bride of the Innisfallen" draws from Welty's journey from London to Ireland (5). Authors almost always draw from their own experiences. Looking at Welty's earlier work this is apparent from her setting in Jackson, her hometown. Even though the setting may be familiar to her, this does not mean that the characters in the book are supposed to be her. Marrs says that in "Going to Naples" Welty wrote herself in a sense into the story. The comparison is made that like Welty the character Miss Crosby was an "unattached lady who could not speak a word of Italian"(5). True that Eudora Welty may be using the character of Miss Crosby to deal with her own personal experience, but more importantly Welty is drawing from new experiences to adapt to her writing. No matter how many similarities Miss Crosby is not Eudora Welty. Welty is simply writing about what she knows. Not to totally discredit all of Marrs' comparisons, there certainly are many areas