SOURCE: Roberts, Terry. “A Certain Path, A Personal Road.” In Self and Community in the Fiction of Elizabeth Spencer, pp. 88-104. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994.

In the following essay, Roberts traces the development of Spencer's short fiction.

I think many of the stories are about liberation and the regret you have when you liberate yourself.

When I look back [at Jack of Diamonds] I see there is a related theme. Perhaps it is mystery in close relationships.

—Elizabeth Spencer, in interviews

The publication in 1981 of The Stories of Elizabeth Spencer marked a reversal in Spencer's critical fortunes.¹ Her previous two novels, No Place for an Angel and The Snare, had brought her insensitive and increasingly unfavorable reviews as well as declining sales. The appearance of the volume of stories dramatically revived Spencer's reputation. Reviewers, including writers James Dickey and Reynolds Price, lavished praise on the volume...