ABSTRACT
SHOWALTER’s many contributions to American literary criticism are all valuable, and selection for this entry has not been an easy task. The scope of analysis in this book is wide, and the initial thematic chapters include a range of writers from varied backgrounds. Subsequent selection for in-depth analysis of Louisa May Alcott, Kate Chopin, and Edith Wharton constructs a bridge between the past and present. Questioning the history, traditions, and contradictions of American women’s writing and, importantly, challenging the idea that monolithic national identity is possible within a multi-cultural reality like America, this critical analysis also looks beyond its own textual analysis.
