Mavis Gallant There have been many aspects that affected the work of Mavis Gallant, some of which include her difficult childhood circumstances. Also the fact that she came from an English, protestant family and was sent to several Convent, French boarding schools that shaped her primary view of the world. Later on her experiences as a newspaper reporter led her to give up her simple life in Canada and move to Paris to pursue her dream of being a writer and nothing else. Gallants Canadian heritage and familiarity with the Acadian culture forms the body of some of her major works. The post world war era played an important role in her decision to move to Paris. In this research paper I am going to discuss some of the major social and literary influences on the work of Mavis Gallant, as well as aspects of her past that affected her development as a writer. Also Three of her major works discussed in this paper are “Home Truths”, “Paris stories” and “Across the bridge”. Gallants work is greatly influenced by her early years of education in Canada. According to Sarah Kerr, Gallants childhood consists of two completely different cultures; English protestant of which her background is, and French catholic where she received her education. “Perhaps because of her own troubled childhood, she is frequently drawn to the plight of frightened, lonely children and adolescents, and writes compassionately of their anguish. The reason why her

parents decided to place her is such schools is still unknown to her.”(Coates 2008). Gallant continues to assert her Canadian identity in her