Portraits of Menopausal Women in Selected Works of English and American Literature

The search for menopausal women in early English and American fiction reveals two formidable barriers: first, the taboo that silenced all overt talk about sexuality, especially female sexuality; and, second, the culture’s reduction of women to their reproductive function. The first condition clouds the middle-aged woman in obscure images, while the second all but eliminates her from the landscape of English and American literature. Together both reflect an abiding refusal to acknowledge women as complex human beings whose desires, dreams, talents, and overall behavior continually overflow the restrictive, artificial definitions that equate women with their sexuality.