Although Sarton’s earlier journals have been criticized for being querulous and cranky, At Eighty-Two avoids these shortcomings by adopting a more objective stance than what Sarton had previously taken。 The subject matter is much the same--wonderful friends, flowers, her cat, the weather, the books she is reading, details of her physical and mental state, what she once calls the “sacramentalization of the ordinary”。

May Sarton’s later journals mostly focus on the topic of aging。 Early in Journal of a Solitude, Sarton would wake up in tears and question herself about her ability of changing。 “I wonder whether it is possible at nearly sixty to change oneself radically”。 (Sarton,1995:33) With the increasing of age, Sarton is not certainly sure whether she is able to change herself。 However, in At Seventy (1984), Sarton posts a new idea about aging。 “I suppose real old age begins when one looks backward rather than forward, but I look forward with joy to the years ahead and especially to the surprises that any day may bring”。 (Sarton, 1982: 2) Sarton believes that when someone looks backward and loses energy, he begins to get old。 But she always looks forward with joy so she is not old at all。 Even after the stroke, with the help of a tape recorder she continues writing。 And in Sarton’s final book At Eighty-Two, she describes her solitary life in eighties, which is a little different from the life she used to have—she feels more dependent and lonely than ever before。 However, Sarton still enjoys solitude and try to find some ways to mediate loneliness。 Although Sarton admits that she is a “stranger in the land of old age”, as she struggles with daily setbacks, there is still her intense love for solitary life and all its challenges。  文献综述

1。2 Reviewing the Research on May Sarton

Although May Sarton’s works are welcomed by readers year after year, there are not many systematic researches about Sarton。 People’s study about Sarton is still at a starting point in China。 The most useful materials are Sarton’s several journals translated by Guohua Yang, Journal of a Solitude(1973), The House by the sea(1976), Recovering(1980) and After the Stroke(1988)。 Besides, in Na Fu’s Beauty of Phoenix: On May Sarton from Feminism Angle, the author discusses Sarton’s work from the angle of feminism, trying to reveal the inner relationship between feminism movement, feminism creative trend of thought and May Sarton。 In 2015, Dongsheng Wang published his research paper on May Sarton’s journals。 Wang analyzes the theme of solitude, female identity, homosexuality and aging in Sarton’s journals, and he points out that living in solitude is a bittersweet experience for Sarton。 In Sarton’s journals, she not only writes about her feelings of loneliness and desperation, but also the joy of inner peace which solitude brings to her。 

While in the western countries, scholars pay more attention to May Sarton。 The researches related to May Sarton are at a more mature level。 In 1992, Susan Swartzlander published That Great Sanity: Critical Essays on May Sarton。 This collection of original essays represents the first book-length consideration of May Sarton’s contributions to American literature and culture。 Although Sarton is primarily known as a novelist and poet, it is probably her journals that have received the most praise and are responsible for her position as an increasingly important cultural figure, especially among women readers for the last two decades。 The twelve essays in That Great Sanity work together to provide theoretical and critical contexts that make possible a more judicious assessment of Sarton’s achievement than has been available previously。