64 pages • 2 hours read
Ford Madox FordParade's End
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1928A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Parade’s End by Ford Madox Ford follows Christopher Tietjens, a conservative English gentleman, and his tumultuous relationships with his unfaithful wife Sylvia and suffragette Valentine Wannop amidst the upheaval of World War I. The tetralogy explores themes of love, honor, and societal change through modernist narrative techniques, emphasizing characters' psychological experiences rather than traditional plot progression. The novels include traumatic war experiences, infidelity, and mental illness.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End has been praised for its complex psychological depth and masterful depiction of a changing society during World War I. Reviewers commend Ford's intricate narrative and realistic portrayal of characters. However, some find the prose dense and challenging, affecting readability. Overall, it remains a significant, if demanding, modernist work.
Who Should Read Parade's End?
Fans of Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford typically enjoy complex narratives, historical settings, and themes of war and social change. This reader likely appreciates the nuanced exploration of human relationships and psychological depth, similar to those found in works like War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy or A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell.