42 pages 1 hour read

Elizabeth Bowen

The Heat of the Day

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1948

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Analyze how the novel depicts the effects of war within domestic and civilian spaces. How does Bowen explore the experience of war for the civilian population? What does this focus reveal in comparison to more standard, frontline accounts of war?

2.

Stella is portrayed as an independent woman, but at one point justifies her accusation of Robert by saying that “the more one thinks, the less there’s any outside reality—at least, that’s so with a woman: we have no scale” (214). Using evidence from the text, discuss how Stella’s character either subverts and/or aligns with gender conventions of the mid-20th century.

3.

The novel plays with the idea of trust and doubt, especially in Stella’s dynamics with both Robert and Harrison. How does the novel explore the nature and potential pitfalls of trust?

Related Titles

By Elizabeth Bowen

Plot Summary

logo

Mysterious Kor

Elizabeth Bowen

Mysterious Kor

Elizabeth Bowen

Plot Summary

logo

The Death Of The Heart

Elizabeth Bowen

The Death Of The Heart

Elizabeth Bowen

Study Guide

logo

The Demon Lover

Elizabeth Bowen

The Demon Lover

Elizabeth Bowen

Study Guide

logo

The Last September

Elizabeth Bowen

The Last September

Elizabeth Bowen