Ivy Compton-Burnett
Compton-Burnett created a completely original fictional world entirely built from dialogue, in which Victorian and Edwardian upper-class families conduct their wars through conversation. Her novels are among the strangest and most achieved works of twentieth-century British fiction.
Works
- Pastors and MastersNovel of academic life revealed through sharp dialogue and emotional undercurrents
- Brothers and SistersNovel of sibling relationships and dark family secrets told through dialogue
- Men and WivesNovel exploring marriages and passion through concentrated dialogue
- More Women than MenNovel of women's academic and romantic lives in witty social comedy
- A House and Its HeadNovel examining a domineering matriarch and her family's lives