Anne Tyler, The Accidental Tourist

Cecilia Donohue (Independent Scholar - North America)
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The Accidental Tourist

(1985), Anne Tyler’s tenth novel, was the second in a triumvirate of consecutively published works that cemented the author’s reputation as an important contemporary American writer. Sandwiched between her widely-praised and often-taught

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

(1982) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning

Breathing Lessons

(1988),

The Accidental Tourist

affords readers an opportunity to experience Tyler’s straightforward yet intimate storytelling style, with her signature focus on residents of Baltimore, Maryland USA, and how unexpected events can catapult an individual into full-blown life reassessment, repair, and renewal.

For Macon Leary, The Accidental Tourist’s protagonist, the initial trauma occurs prior to the start of the novel. He and his wife

1344 words

Citation: Donohue, Cecilia. "The Accidental Tourist". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 December 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14602, accessed 23 November 2024.]

14602 The Accidental Tourist 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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