Brent has a Ph.D. in American culture, specializing in cinema studies, from the University of Michigan. She is a freelance writer and teaches courses in American cinema. In the following essay, Brent discusses the theme of the "difference" in the protagonist's perception of her exterior social manners and her interior emotional life.

Ellen Glasgow's short story "The Difference" opens shortly after Margaret Fleming, a woman of middle age, has read a letter from one Rose Morrison, informing her of an ongoing affair with George, Margaret's husband of twenty years. The story's title focuses on the theme of the "difference" in Margaret's perception of her husband, her marriage, the world around her and even herself, as a result of receiving this shocking information. The "difference" also refers to the difference in the signifi- cance of the extra-marital affair to George and to Margaret, as well as the...