[Miss Gordon] is a conscious heiress to what is probably the central tradition of modern fiction, which we can refer to, following some of its great practitioners, as the Impressionist novel…. Miss Gordon is more than the follower of a tradition; indeed, her innovations are bold and far-reaching. But she often works out her devices with an eye on the masters whom she honors. (pp. 279-80)

Her method, if we may call it that, consists in subtly adjusting her prose medium to her subject. If she were a Renaissance poet we would say that she obeys the ancient rhetorical principle of decorum, with the several styles adapted to the levels of subject. And indeed the old term is being revived today, notably by the most astute students of Joyce, who in Ulysses systematically exploits the possibilities of multiple style. Miss Gordon, however, does not plunge from one style...