Images of Women: A Study of American Women in the Twentieth Century Literature

[摘要] This thesis examines how the images of American women in the twentieth century are defined (and perhaps redefined) by women writers. I will look at the writings of various American women, including representative poetry, fiction, essays, memoirs - always with an emphasis on the unique vision of women’s images. Part I, A New Consciousness, examines the ;;woman question ;;and the changes occurring as women awaken to a new search for personal freedom and self - realization. I have included writings by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, all late nineteenth century and early twentieth century writers. Part II, Among Women, looks at the experiences of women through female friendships, mother - daughter relationships and the bond between sisters. Literature in this section includes works by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Carroll Smith - Rosenberg, Barbara Lazear Ascher, Susan Glaspell, Toni Morrison, Lillian Heilman, Alice Walker, Jill Robinson, Tillie Olsen, Marge Piercy, Adrienne Rich and Candace Flynt. The thesis concludes with Part III, A New Woman, an examination of the redefinition of feminism in the fifties and sixties, followed by an overview of how women in the seventies and eighties have attempted to reshape their traditional lifestyles that provide them with more choices and alternatives. This section includes work by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Betty Friedan, Sylvia Plath, Sue Kaufman, Erica Jong, Marilyn French, Marge Piercy, Joyce Carol Oates, Alix Kate Shulman and May Sarton.

[发布机构] University of Michigan

[效力级别] women writers

[关键词] American literature;women writers;twentieth century;Liberal Studies