"The Optimist" by E. M. Delafield is a story set in the first part of the 1900's that shows how a man named Owen Quentillian thinks about his past, mostly about the Morchard family, searching for who he is and what he wants. It mostly looks at what goes on in the home of Canon Morchard, focusing on what people owe, what they care about, and how they find themselves. The book starts with Owen going on a trip and thinking back to when he was a kid and knew the Morchard family, especially Valeria and her brothers and sisters. Thinking about what he felt deeply at St. Gwenllian, Owen remembers talking with the Canon, his daughters, and how their family acted together. When Owen meets Lucilla and the Canon again, he has a mix of feeling like he misses the past and wanting to know where he fits in their lives, with Valeria being important as someone who shows how hard it is to balance what you want with what your family expects. The start gets ready to see how people connect, what people hope to do, and how tricky family loyalty can be, which pushes Owen to really think about being partnered and feeling like he belongs.
The optimist
By E. M. Delafield
Amidst nostalgic reflections and intricate family ties, a man journeys to understand his place, seeking partnership and self-discovery within the bonds of duty and affection.
Summary
About the AuthorEdmée Elizabeth Monica Dashwood, née de la Pasture, commonly known as E. M. Delafield, was a prolific English author. She wrote novels, short stories, and plays, among other genres, but Delafield is best known for her largely autobiographical Diary of a Provincial Lady, which took the form of a journal of the life of an upper-middle class Englishwoman living mostly in a Devon village of the 1930s. In sequels, the Provincial Lady buys a flat in London, travels to America and attempts to find war-work during the Phoney War. Delafield's other works include an account of a visit to the Soviet Union, but this is not part of the Provincial Lady series, despite having been reprinted with the title The Provincial Lady in Russia. Delafield is considered by many to have been a master of the comedy of manners.
Edmée Elizabeth Monica Dashwood, née de la Pasture, commonly known as E. M. Delafield, was a prolific English author. She wrote novels, short stories, and plays, among other genres, but Delafield is best known for her largely autobiographical Diary of a Provincial Lady, which took the form of a journal of the life of an upper-middle class Englishwoman living mostly in a Devon village of the 1930s. In sequels, the Provincial Lady buys a flat in London, travels to America and attempts to find war-work during the Phoney War. Delafield's other works include an account of a visit to the Soviet Union, but this is not part of the Provincial Lady series, despite having been reprinted with the title The Provincial Lady in Russia. Delafield is considered by many to have been a master of the comedy of manners.
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