The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark, which tells the story of a charismatic, unconventional schoolteacher and the students who are in thrall to her. Miss Brodie captivates the girls who make up her “set”, but her charm conceals a worrying penchant for fascism and a manipulate streak that will shape all the characters’ lives for many years to come. The novel was named one of the 100 best books of the 20th century by the Modern Library and has inspired numerous adaptations, including an Academy Award-winning 1969 film.

Find out everything you need to know about The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in a fraction of the time!

This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Apr 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9782808017084

Book preview

SCOTTISH POET AND NOVELIST

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1918.

Died in Florence, Italy in 2006.

Notable works:

The Ballad of Peckham Rye (1960), novel

The Girls of Slender Means (1963), novel

Curriculum Vitae (1992), autobiography

Dame Muriel Sarah Spark (née Camberg) led a highly international and adventurous life. She was born to Jewish parents as the second of two children. Having spent her childhood and youth in Edinburgh and Watford, she moved to Southern Rhodesia at the age of 19 to marry Sydney Oswald Spark in 1937. After the birth of their first and only child in 1938, the marriage had already broken down as Sydney was unstable and abusive. Muriel left her son at a boarding school in South Africa and returned to London in 1944. She had various affairs before converting to Catholicism in 1954. When The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie brought her international fame, she spent half her time in New York between 1962 and 65. In 1965, Spark moved to Rome, where she met the Italian sculptor Penelope Jardine. They became close friends and shared a household until Spark’s