Elizabeth Spencer American Writer

Bio From Mississippi Born in 1921 Latest Novels: Belhaven College and M.A. and Vanderbilt Family is important in the south Left the south after a falling out with it Moved to Italy and used it as a backdrop Family and Family Dynamics is important in the stories The Light in the Piazza (1960) is the her most famous work Four stories won O. Henry Awards Retired to Chapel Hill Latest Novels: Knights and Dragons. 1965. No Place for an Angel 1967. The Snare. 1972. The Salt Line. 1985. The Night Travellers. 1991

“The Light in the Piazza” Third person. Switches POV About a mother, Ms. Johnson and her daughter, Clara, as they visit Italy. Clara is a mentally disabled woman who her mother is very protective over. Clara falls in love with Fabrizio and Ms. Johnson has to let her go. Ms. Johnson finds herself in Italy and lets them get married without her husbands consent

“ The White Azalea” Told in Third Person Theresa has been sick most of her life She would read about Italy Now she has gone to Italy and her cousin has died She rips up the letter instead of going home She buries the letter in a White Azalea flower pot. Theresa finds that she can do what she wants without having to go home. “…It was not the letters but the Stubblefields that she had torn apart and consigned to the earth. This was certainly the only explanation of why the whole curious sequence, now that it was complete, had made her feel so marvelously much better”.

“The Visit” Told in Third Person Judy and Bill travel to Italy to see Mr. Thomson Bill wants to use him in the book he is writing Judy wanders around and actually sees the culture around her Bill sits in the library and just wants to talk to Mr. Thomson about the culture instead of actually seeing it. Bill isn’t satisfied with the meeting while Judy is Judy finds that she is able to see and understand for herself and that her husband can be wrong.