What's Eudora Welty's philosophy as reflected through her works? Modernism? Realism? Existentialism or others?

Question

One of her literary works explores the dual-sideness of life, and how one has to accept both the good and the bad. Not sure what philosphical view her works are based on.

Answer 1

This is too good a question to go unanswered. It deserves a good response. But I must admit--as much as I admire (and love) Miss Welty's work--I cannot think of her as a philosopher, or of the themes of her fiction, if indeed there be themes, as philosophical. Modernist? Well, not really. Realist? Not in a philosophical sense of the word. Existentialist? Not consciously or stylistically.

I think, better than any other 20th century author I can name, she represents a quality that "went to form a Man of Achievement especially in literature & which Shakespeare possessed so enormously - I mean Negative Capability, that is when man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts without any irritable reaching after fact & reason."

If I had to give a name to Eudora Welty's philosophical stance it would be John Keats's negative capability. She is a Woman of Achievement, a woman capable . . . .

I think Losing Battles is one of the great novels of the 20th century precisely because it presents the "losing battles" of most of its characters without ever suggesting that they are "losers." We hear their stories, we live their stories, we enter the "uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts" inherent in their stories (and all our stories), but we do not judge them or their stories. We know them as they are; we identify with them as they are, "without any irritable reaching after fact & reason."

If that be realism, so be it. If that be existentialism, so be it. If that be modernism, so be it.

What it is is great fiction, literature that we live.

Answer 2

What started out first was my friend from school she's really inspiring and every time I talk to her, it just inspired me to write about anything Whether it's poetry or a story Then it was nature...then it was this boy and then it continues on Whatever comes my way and I have a feeling of writing it down, I'll do it and that's it What about yourself? Edit: Upon even tragedy comes great work =) Not saying in a bad way or anything, but usually when people are down, they can write the most beautiful things ever...