Plot and Theme įidelity is the third novel by Susan Glaspell and it elaborates on the concept of woman’s fidelity to marriage, men, society, family and especially to herself. Glaspell sheds light on her subjects with various 'lamps', in the sense that different characters present their own standings regarding the concept of fidelity. The ambiguity of Ruth's dilemma is reflected in the use of the technique of shifting points of view originated by the psychologist William James. : 51 Complex moral issues are looked at from multiple perspectives. The novel is structured around 'moments of suspense and disclosure', and moves between past and present events and between the main story and subsidiary plots. When she returns to her hometown after 11 years, she has to deal with the death of her father, the break-up of her family, and the rejection of her loved ones.Īlthough the novel was not well-received by critics when it was originally published, later reviews have been more positive, with Marcia Noe's Susan Glaspell: Voice from the Heartland proclaiming it to be Glaspell's best novel.

The story revolves around the life experiences of Ruth Holland, a young woman from a Midwestern town called Freeport, Iowa, who defies the societal mandates of her times when she falls in love with a married man and runs away to Colorado with him. The novel was first published in Boston, in 1915, by Small, Maynard & Company.

Fidelity is a novel written by author Susan Glaspell (1876–1948).

Fidelity book