Nightwood
Cover of the 2006 edition
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| Author | Djuna Barnes |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Sigrid Rothe |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
Modernist Lesbian literature |
| Publisher | Harcourt Trade Publishers |
|
Publication date
|
1936 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 180 |
| ISBN | (New Directions Publishing Paperback Reprint) |
| OCLC | 70107094 |
| 813/.52 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3503.A614 N5 2006 |
Nightwood is a 1936 novel by Djuna Barnes first published in London by Faber and Faber.
Nightwood is one of the earliest prominent novels to portray explicit homosexuality between women, and can be considered lesbian literature.
It is also notable for its intense, gothic prose style. The novel employs modernist techniques such as its unusual form or narrative and can be considered metafiction, and it was praised by other modernist authors including T. S. Eliot, who wrote an introduction included in the 1937 edition published by Harcourt, Brace.
Eliot wrote in his introduction that "... it is so good a novel that only sensibilities trained on poetry can wholly appreciate it." As a roman à clef, the novel features a thinly veiled portrait of Barnes in the character of Nora Flood, whereas Nora’s lover Robin Vote is a composite of Thelma Wood and the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven.
Author Charles Henri Ford typed an early version of the manuscript for Barnes during the summer of 1932, and it took Barnes several years to find a publisher.
Nightwood follows Robin Vote, who is in constant search of "secure torment". The story begins in Europe, where the false Baron Felix Volkbein is introduced to Robin by Dr. Matthew O'Connor. Felix who seeks her hand in marriage in order to emulate traditions of old European nobility, seeking to grant validity to his own family name and help Robin feel secure. After the birth of their son, Guido, Robin realizes that she does not wish to carry on this life. Felix seeks the counsel of O'Connor, who attempts to comfort him and turn his attention towards his disabled son.
Robin moves to America, where she begins a romantic relationship with Nora Flood, and they eventually move to Paris together. Both Nora and Robin seek security in their companionship, but Robin's nature strains their relationship and prevents them from remaining at peace. She feels driven by the conflicts of "love and anonymity", and spends her nights away from home, having flings with strangers while Nora waits nervously for her lover's return. During one such night Robin meets Jenny Petherbridge, a widow four times over, who "gains happiness by stealing the joy of others". Jenny turns her attention to stealing Robin away from Nora, and succeeds. In her despair, Nora (like Felix before her) turns to the counsel of O'Connor to recover from the loss of Robin.
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Wikipedia