Items related to The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Synopsis
An election is held at the abbey of Crewe and the new lady abbess takes up her high office with implacable serenity.
“The short dirk in the hands of Muriel Spark has always been a deadly weapon,” said The New York Times, and “never more so than in The Abbess of Crewe.” An elegant little fable about intrigue, corruption, and electronic surveillance, The Abbess of Crewe is set in an English Benedictine convent. Steely and silky Abbess Alexandra (whose aristocratic tastes run to pâté, fine wine, English poetry, and carpets of “amorous green”) has bugged the convent, and rigged her election. But the cat gets out of the bag, and―plunged into scandal―the serene Abbess faces a Vatican inquiry."synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
Published in 1974 and inspired by Watergate, Muriel Spark's Abbess of Crewe is much more amusing and infinitely drier. It transpires that Alexandra, the title character, has bugged and videotaped the Abbey--except for the confessionals and chapel--with electronic "devices fearfully and wonderfully beyond the reach of a humane vocabulary." After her only rival decamps for London and the arms of a Jesuit, police and newspapers swoop in. All the while, the Abbess (an adherent of Machiavelli, The Art of War, and the Modernist poets) keeps her cool, sacrificing her confederates as necessary and trying to assure herself of helicopter-hopping Gertrude's loyalty. (Gertrude is off curing cannibals of their customs and calls in occasionally from places whose unpronounceable names will soon be replaced by other equally unpronounceable names.) Spark's nuns on the run are more than stand-ins for the sweaty American President and his operatives; the satire extends to Anglo-snobbism and -Catholicism. The Abbess explains to the Pope that "electronic surveillance (even if a convent were one day to practise it) does not differ from any other type of watchfulness, the which is a necessity of a Religious Community; we are told in the Scriptures 'to watch and to pray,' which is itself a paradox."
From the Back Cover
An elegant fable about intrigue, corruption, and electronic surveillance, 'The Abbess of Crewe' (1974) is set in an English Benedictine convent. Steely and silky Abbess Alexandra has bugged the convent, and rigged her election. But the cat gets out of the bag, and--plunged into scandal--the serene Abbess faces a Vatican inquiry.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherNew Directions
- Publication date1995
- ISBN 10 0811212963
- ISBN 13 9780811212960
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages106
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 10.84
Shipping:
US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Seller: Magers and Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Very Good. May have light to moderate shelf wear and/or a remainder mark. Complete. Clean pages. paperback. Seller Inventory # 660229
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
Abbess of Crewe
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 313849-n
Quantity: 5 available
Seller Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale by Spark, Muriel [Paperback ]
Seller: booksXpress, Bayonne, NJ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780811212960
Quantity: 10 available
Stock Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Seller: Ergodebooks, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Softcover. Condition: Good. An election is held at the abbey of Crewe and the new lady abbess takes up her high office with implacable serenity. The short dirk in the hands of Muriel Spark has always been a deadly weapon, said The New York Times, and never more so than in The Abbess of Crewe. An elegant little fable about intrigue, corruption, and electronic surveillance, The Abbess of Crewe is set in an English Benedictine convent. Steely and silky Abbess Alexandra (whose aristocratic tastes run to pté, fine wine, English poetry, and carpets of amorous green) has bugged the convent, and rigged her election. But the cat gets out of the bag, and-plunged into scandal-the serene Abbess faces a Vatican inquiry. Seller Inventory # SONG0811212963
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
ABBESS OF CREWE PA
Seller: INDOO, Avenel, NJ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 9780811212960
Quantity: Over 20 available
Seller Image
Abbess of Crewe
Seller: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: As New. Unread book in perfect condition. Seller Inventory # 313849
Quantity: 5 available
Stock Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.25. Seller Inventory # 0811212963-2-3
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Book is in Used-Good condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. 0.25. Seller Inventory # 0811212963-2-4
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Seller: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: New. Book is in NEW condition. 0.25. Seller Inventory # 0811212963-2-1
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The Abbess of Crewe: A Modern Morality Tale
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.25. Seller Inventory # bk0811212963xvz189zvxgdd
Quantity: 1 available