Modern American Women Writers - by Lea Baechler (Paperback)

About the Book

Featuring original contributions by scholars in the field of women's studies, this invaluable reference illuminates the lives and works of Maya Angelou, Kate Chopin, Joan Didion, Anne Tyler, Susan Sontag, Gertrude Stein, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O'Connor, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and others.

Book Synopsis

In this rich examination of some of America's leading writers, learn how the lives and work of thirty-two women shaped the literature they produced.

Based on the acclaimed hardcover edition, this concise revision of Modern American Women Writers is a unique look at a century of women's contributions to the American literary tradition.

The essays included within this book are by the best scholars in the field of women's studies and combine illuminating biographical detail with thoughtful discussions of each authors work. Featuring an introduction from distinguished feminist critic Elaine Showalter, Modern American Women Writers is "an outstanding reference source" for anyone looking to discover how women writers have shaped American literature(American Reference Books Annual).

From the Back Cover

"Modern American Women Writers" is a rich examination of how the lives of thirty-two of America's leading writers shaped the literature they produced. The essays in this book are by the best scholars in the field of women's studies and combine illuminating biographical detail with thoughtful discussions of each author's work. Based on the acclaimed hardcover, this concise edition of "Modern American Women Writers" is a unique look at a century of women's contributions to the American literary tradition. As the distinguished feminist critic Elaine Showalter says in the introduction, "Women have revised the fundamental themes and conventions of American literature, including its myths of individuality, community, language, and the frontier. Feminine imagination and feminine energy are part of our cultural heritage, and any history of American literature that excludes women's contribution cannot be complete."

About the Author

Elaine Showalter is an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues. She is a founder of feminist literary criticism in American academia, specifically known for developing the concept of gynocritics. She earned her PhD at the University of California, Davis and is a recipient of the Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism.