The+Black+Madonna

=Story Overview:= Write a short overview of the story here. Include the name of the author and the year that the story was written. Limit your writing to a maximum of 100 words.

Muriel Spark was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1918. Her short story "The Black Madonna" (1963) is about the ambiguity of an English white couple named Parker, who are Catholics. They pretend to be tolerant, free of prejudices and open-minded, but slowly Muriel Sparks shows to the reader what’s behind their facade: Below the surface they are hypocritical, selfish and full of prejudice. The author reveals their real character completely by telling us that Mrs. Parker has got a black baby, after praying for a child in front of a Black Madonna. Instead of accepting their child as "good Catholics", Parkners decide to have their baby being adopted and move to London.

(David W. and Linda S.)

=Key Aspects:=

Author - The Black Madonna Plot - The Black Madonna Setting - The Black Madonna Characters - The Black Madonna Conflicts - The Black Madonna Themes - The Black Madonna Quotes & Passages - The Black Madonna Student Responses - The Black Madonna