A Study of a Female Character in a Male Dominated World in Margaret Drabble’s The Millstone

This is a study of female characters in the novels of Margaret Drabble, focused mainly on what they have to say about the condition of women in our contemporary society. The author being English, and her stories taking place in Britain from the 1960's onwards, it has been considered relevant to start with an appraisal of British society and of the way it has evolved in recent years. Many of the points we make in a sober and descriptive manner have been taken up in a literary fashion by our author. This chapter reviews how feminist issues have been approached in England and tries to place Margaret Drabble in a perspective amongst contemporary women writers. Then follows a detailed study of the female character of Rosamund. A complete resume of the book would have taken too much space, while the windings and sinuosities of the stories are either sufficiently known or apt to be deduced from the references made in the text. Emphasis, therefore, has been placed on those salient passages pertinent to our study. The conclusions are offered as a synthesis of our reading and personal interpretation of Margaret Drabble's message. They formulate what we consider to be her views on the women question, while making allowance for parallel or complementary issues. A judgement of Margaret Drabble as a feminist closes our stud