Ivy Compton-Burnett

A House and Its Head is a 1935 novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett. The main theme of the book is the family unit, and through this gender struggles are portrayed. Duncan Edgeworth's relationship with his wife Ellen can be seen as problematic from very early on, and it is even assumed that when you read the title of the book …

Manservant and Maidservant is a 1947 novel by Ivy Compton-Burnett. It was published in the United States with the title Bullivant and the Lambs. Whenever the author was asked which of her novels were her favorites, she always mentioned Manservant and Maidservant and A House and Its Head. “Manservant and Maidservant is …