Review the following passage from an editor’s introduction to The Country of the Pointed Firs. As you read, reflect on the “Mrs. Todd” passage you read, and consider whether you agree with the analysis of the strength of Jewett’s “character development,” her ability to “preserve a disappearing way of life,” and that “it can be read as a study of the effects of isolation and hardship on the inhabitants…” "The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896) is considered Jewett's finest work, described by Henry James as her “beautiful little quantum of achievement.” Despite James's diminutives, the novel remains a classic. Because it is loosely structured, many critics view the book not as a novel, but a series of sketches; however, its structure is unified through both setting and theme. Jewett herself felt that her strengths as a writer lay not in plot development or dramatic tension, but in character development. Indeed, she determined early in her career to preserve a disappearing way of life, and her novel can be read as a study of the effects of isolation and hardship on the inhabitants who lived in the decaying fishing villages along the Maine coast." Next, read the following review of The Country of the Pointed Firs. As you read, reflect on the “Mrs. Todd” passage you read, and consider whether you agree with the review’s statement on how the book illustrates respect for women, the elderly, and old ways. "THE COUNTRY OF THE POINTED FIRS Sarah Orne Jewett 1896 Novel Deciding to spend the summer at secluded Dunnet Landing in order to work on her writing, the narrator finds the seemingly taciturn villagers only too willing to confide to her the important events in their lives and in the life of the community. The various character sketches establish the sense of place, a connection to nature, and the feeling of loss as story after story reveals a missed or thwarted opportunity. The inhabitants of Dunnet Landing include both those who seem competent and fulfilled in life (such as Mrs. Todd, the herb-gatherer, and her mother, Mrs. Blackett, eighty-six years old but still youthful and open to life) and those who are not (such as Abby Martin who thinks she is Queen Victoria's twin because they were born on the same day, and Joanna Todd who has become a hermit after being jilted by her lover). The narrator's comments on their stories universalize the characters and their feelings. The novel's plot emerges both from the narrator's stay at Mrs. Todd's house and from various past events in the lives of the characters she encounters. It is this interweaving which creates the texture of the novel and moves it away from the realm of a short story collection. Jewett's story primarily focuses on the women in the community and honors the lives of the elderly, but in a natural way since the loss of sea trade has limited work for the young. Despite the stagnation and decay present, the novel represents the old ways as worthy and important and their loss as lamentable."