(1963) was Alan Sillitoe’s second collection of short stories after
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner(1960). All seven stories in the volume are set mainly in Nottingham and feature working-class protagonists whom we sometimes know only by their forenames, which contributes to a sense of intimacy. The collection confirms that Sillitoe was a master of the short story form, able to create absorbing characters, scenes and situations and to pack large implications into a brief run of pages.
The title story is a lively and finally poignant first-person narrative. Tony, 18-and-a-half when the story starts, picks up Doris Randall, a girl of about 17 in her last year at grammar school, who is the daughter of a ragman, a prosperous scrap dealer. Doris is excited
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Citation: Tredell, Nicolas. "The Ragman's Daughter". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 November 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34716, accessed 27 November 2024.]
