Major Issues
Author Links
Essay Questions

Major Issues

There have been numerous feminist studies of the fiction of Alice Munro, including her portrayal of mothers, her scrutiny of contemporary male-female relationships, and her critique of socially imposed gender roles. Other critics have discussed the prominence of gossip in Munro’s work, as an alternative to linear, patriarchal history. Munro’s exploration of life in small town central Canada has lead to her being labelled a regionalist. Her protagonists include individuals who long to escape from, and then long to return to, their families and communities. Munro is considered a pioneer of the linked short story sequence. This genre allows her to explore an individual’s development without being tied to the causal linearity of the conventional novel plot. Munro’s fiction has been compared to that of many other women writers, including Virginia Woolf, Flannery O’Connor, and Katherine Mansfield.

Author Links

Alice Munro Page
This gateway site will connect you with reviews, audio, bibliography, and many other links.

Author Profile: Alice Munro
Biography of Munro, followed by primary and critical bibliography.

A Conversation with Alice Munro
An interview in which Munro comments on the short story genre, her writing habits, literary influences, and memory.

Featured Author: Alice Munro
Reviews of Munro’s works, and interviews with the author from the archives of The New York Times.

Alice Munro
This essay argues that Munro’s short stories should really be labelled novels.