Although many studies have been done of individual authors, at present few works exist which compare different immigrant literatures from the past and present. This work draws broad conclusions about the changes in American attitudes toward immigration and diverse cultures that are reflected in the literature. This book examines the representation of the immigrant experience in North American literature. Most of the chapters discuss the portrayal of particular ethnic groups by specific authors during a century of American and Canadian history. One essay highlights controversies among recent writers and critics concerning how their cultures should be portrayed, and the introductory and concluding essays provide historical, cultural, and literary contexts for a comparative approach to North American immigrant literature.

The expert contributors expose the reader to a variety of immigrant experiences in the literature of past and present, experiences in which the characters attempt to reconcile their ancestral heritage with that of their adopted land. Variations of three basic stances can be found in these works: the essentialist, rejecting the values of the dominant culture and resisting assimilation; the assimilationist, embracing the attitudes and behaviors of the new culture; and the hybridist, incorporating the old and new. The book additionally explores such topics as race, class, and gender, as well as the intergenerational conflict found in much immigrant literature.

Expounding the view that the feminist movement has both encouraged and enriched literature by women, Katherine Payant examines a large body of popular fiction of the late 1960s through the early 1990s, relating these writers and works to the women's movement and feminist theories. The study concentrates on popular fiction, which is seen as evidence of the widespread influence of feminism and as a vehicle for dissemination of "mainstream" feminist ideas. The opening chapter argues that feminist-influenced popular literature has been neglected by critics and stresses the importance of its study to discern how social movements, such as feminism, affect the arts. Chapters dealing with the 1970s and 1980s survey relevant feminist theories and tie them to representative novels. Especially characteristic of the 1970s was the novel of development, of growing up female, or, in feminist terminology, the "social construction of femininity." The 1980s and early 1990s showed themes broadening into women's experiences, such as motherhood, and bonds between women, including mother/daughter relationships and friendships. Chosen for special focus in individual chapters are Marge Piercy, Mary Gordon, and Toni Morrison, all immensely successful during the last twenty years and reflecting divergent perspectives on feminism. Gordon, writing from an Irish Catholic perspective, synthesizes feminist ideas with traditional feminine experiences. Morrison celebrates the strength and laments the pain of African-American women, but shows ambivalence toward some feminist issues in the light of the experiences of black women. Written in accessible prose, this work will deepen the appreciation of readers of thesenovelists and can serve as valuable supplementary reading for courses in women's studies and women in literature. An extensive bibliography includes primary sources and studies in feminism, literary criticism, and contemporary women's writing.