Autore: Mary Gladys Meredith Webb

Mary Gladys Meredith Webb, most commonly known as Mary Webb (1881–1927), was an English novelist and poet of the early 20th century, whose work is set chiefly in the Shropshire countryside and among Shropshire characters and people which she knew. Her novels have been successfully dramatized, most notably the film “Gone to Earth” in 1950 by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Webb”s literary reputation has been defined by her intense poetic vision and her intricate use of regional dialect and rural settings. Her novel “Gone to Earth”, published in 1917, is a prime example of her literary style, which weaves naturalistic landscapes with a heartfelt narrative that explores the conflict between animal instincts and the constraints of social mores. It tells the story of Hazel Woodus, a child of nature whose life is disrupted by two competing suitors, embodying a theme of juxtaposition between the primal and the civilized worlds that is central to Webb”s oeuvre. Despite posthumous recognition, Mary Webb”s life was marked by financial difficulty and ill health that limited her writing career. Nonetheless, her works have endured, enjoying a resurgence of interest in the context of studies in women”s literature and the pastoral tradition. Webb”s novels, while sometimes overshadowed by her contemporaries, offer valuable insight into the interplay between humans and their environments, and they continue to captivate readers with their atmospheric settings and emotional depth.