And Sarton, who is famous for her journals in advanced age, is no doubt one of the most persistent voices on aging in contemporary literature and culture。 Kathleen Gregory Klein states that “Few of Sarton’s character die unexpectedly during youth or middle age。 Extraordinary numbers of people live well beyond the normal life span。”(Klein, 1983: 151) From this aspect, we find most figures in Sarton’s works are in advanced age, which shows clearly the contribution Sarton has made for aging literature。 In “Aging and Dying in the novels of May Sarton”, Klein briefly discusses the aging and dying theme in Sarton’s works, such as Kinds of love (1970) and As We Are Now (1973)。 And Klein agrees with Sarton that “Corning to self –knowledge is the true way of rounding off and finishing life。 With this fulfillment, death is not a negation but an affirmation of existence。”(Klein, 1983: 157) This really shows an intention of positive aging。 And Besides, Marlene Springer also studies Sarton’s works earnestly。 “A modern exception to this pattern is May Sarton, one of the very few writers, especially in our culture, to explore profoundly both the perils and the possibilities confronted by older people; one of the few writers to treat the aged, and particularly older women, with dignity without ignoring the threats of senility, the helplessness of physical decay, the frustrations of waning power。”(Springer, 1980: 46) That is the comment Springer has made for Sarton。 Meanwhile, Springer praises Sarton’s positive aging in her work。 “Positively, then, aging can offer new freedoms without the loss of old intensities。”(Springer, 1980: 48)来*自-优=尔,论:文+网www.chuibin.com

Meanwhile, there are some studies on Sarton’s At Seventy by the graduates of Hangzhou Normal University。 From their point of view, At Seventy is discussed in various ways, but the similarities can still be concluded as following。