The Fifth Child
E631922
The Fifth Child is a 1988 novella by Doris Lessing that explores the breakdown of a seemingly ideal family after the birth of a disturbing, possibly monstrous child, blending domestic realism with elements of horror and social critique.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Fifth Child canonical | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literary work
ⓘ
novella ⓘ |
| author | Doris Lessing NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorAward | Nobel Prize in Literature (Doris Lessing, 2007) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralTheme |
family breakdown
ⓘ
fear of the monstrous child ⓘ motherhood ⓘ otherness ⓘ social conformity ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| explores |
limits of parental love
ⓘ
stigma and exclusion ⓘ tension between idealized family life and social reality ⓘ |
| firstPublicationForm | book ⓘ |
| form | prose ⓘ |
| genre |
domestic fiction
ⓘ
horror fiction ⓘ psychological fiction ⓘ social critique ⓘ |
| hasCharacter |
Ben Lovatt
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
David Lovatt NERFINISHED ⓘ Harriet Lovatt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasSequel | Ben, in the World NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| length | novella-length ⓘ |
| literaryForm | novella ⓘ |
| literaryMovement | late 20th-century literature ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
Ben Lovatt
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
David Lovatt NERFINISHED ⓘ Harriet Lovatt NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| narrativePerspective | third-person narration ⓘ |
| notableFor |
blend of realism and horror elements
ⓘ
critique of middle-class values ⓘ portrayal of a disturbing child figure ⓘ |
| numberOfChildrenInFamily | 5 ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | English ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1988 ⓘ |
| publisher | Jonathan Cape NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| sequelPublicationYear | 2000 ⓘ |
| setInPeriod |
1960s
ⓘ
1970s ⓘ |
| setting | suburban England ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
disability and difference
ⓘ
marriage and family life ⓘ social expectations ⓘ |
| targetAudience | adult readers ⓘ |
| timeToWrite | late 1980s ⓘ |
| writtenByNobelLaureate | true ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.