(1997), first published in book form in 1969, contains fifty-six sketches written by Maeve Brennan for
The New Yorker, a magazine known for its commentaries on popular culture and eccentric Americana, between 1954 and 1981. When Brennan first began writing articles for the “Talk of the Town” section in 1954, individual pieces appeared anonymously alongside those of other writers. Her first Long-Winded Lady sketch, which appeared on 23 January 1954, changed the pattern and the character of the section. Entitled “Skunked”, the piece described the Lady’s failure to gain a shop assistant’s attention when taking a purse to a dress shop to have a matching collar made. Geoffrey Hellman, a regular contributor to
The New Yorker, introduced the piece: “A rather…
1800 words
Citation: McLoughlin, Dolores. "The Long-Winded Lady". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 July 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=33488, accessed 23 November 2024.]
