As the American literary canon has undergone revision and
expansion in recent years, the influence of women writers of the
nineteenth century has been reevaluated. The first book of its
kind, this reference provides alphabetically arranged entries for
more than 70 nineteenth-century American women writers, such as
Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Emma Lazarus, and Harriet
Beecher Stowe. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and
includes a biography, a discussion of the author's major works and
themes, an overview of the critical studies examining the writer's
works, and a bibliography of works for further consultation.
The nineteenth century gave birth to some of the richest works
in American literature. For decades, nineteenth-century authors
such as Hawthorne, Melville, Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman
have been considered the dominant figures of the period, and other
writers have received much less attention. But the scope and focus
of American literary studies has shifted dramatically in recent
years, and mainstream anthologies have been revised to reflect
changes in the canon. One of the most exciting changes has been the
reassessment of the contributions of American women writers of the
nineteenth century. Some of these women, such as Louisa May Alcott
and Harriet Beecher Stowe, are fairly well known. Others, such as
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, have been the subject of much recent
critical attention. But despite the resurgence of interest in
American women writers of the nineteenth century, resources for
readers have remained widely scattered.
This reference book is the first work of its kind to offer
comprehensive entries on more than 70 American women writers who
published during the nineteenth century. Featuring authors who have
long been assimilated into the literary canon as well as
once-popular writers who have largely been forgotten, this volume
invites a critical reassessment of the contributions of these
writers to American literary history. Entries are written by expert
contributors and are arranged alphabetically to facilitate access.
Each entry includes a biographical sketch, a discussion of the
writer's major works and themes, an overview of the critical
response to the writer, and a bibliography of works by and about
the writer. To encourage additional research, the volume closes
with a bibliography of significant studies of nineteenth-century
American women writers.
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