Sex Expression and American Women Writers, 1860-1940

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Women Authors, American
Cover of the book Sex Expression and American Women Writers, 1860-1940 by Dale M. Bauer, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Dale M. Bauer ISBN: 9780807887691
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: June 1, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Dale M. Bauer
ISBN: 9780807887691
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: June 1, 2009
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

American women novelists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries registered a call for a new sexual freedom, Dale Bauer contends. By creating a lexicon of "sex expression," many authors explored sexuality as part of a discourse about women's needs rather than confining it to the realm of sentiments, where it had been relegated (if broached at all) by earlier writers. This new rhetoric of sexuality enabled critical conversations about who had sex, when in life they had it, and how it signified.

Whether liberating or repressive, sexuality became a potential force for female agency in these women's novels, Bauer explains, insofar as these novelists seized the power of rhetoric to establish their intellectual authority. Thus, Bauer argues, they helped transform the traditional ideal of sexual purity into a new goal of sexual pleasure, defining in their fiction what intimacy between equals might become.

Analyzing the work of canonical as well as popular writers--including Edith Wharton, Anzia Yezierska, Julia Peterkin, and Fannie Hurst, among others--Bauer demonstrates that the new sexualization of American culture was both material and rhetorical.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

American women novelists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries registered a call for a new sexual freedom, Dale Bauer contends. By creating a lexicon of "sex expression," many authors explored sexuality as part of a discourse about women's needs rather than confining it to the realm of sentiments, where it had been relegated (if broached at all) by earlier writers. This new rhetoric of sexuality enabled critical conversations about who had sex, when in life they had it, and how it signified.

Whether liberating or repressive, sexuality became a potential force for female agency in these women's novels, Bauer explains, insofar as these novelists seized the power of rhetoric to establish their intellectual authority. Thus, Bauer argues, they helped transform the traditional ideal of sexual purity into a new goal of sexual pleasure, defining in their fiction what intimacy between equals might become.

Analyzing the work of canonical as well as popular writers--including Edith Wharton, Anzia Yezierska, Julia Peterkin, and Fannie Hurst, among others--Bauer demonstrates that the new sexualization of American culture was both material and rhetorical.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book U. S. Grant by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Carolina Cradle by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Colors of Confinement by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book The Political Ecology of Bananas by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book The Press Gang by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Wade Hampton by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Appalachia by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Iron and Steel by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Working the Garden by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Aberration of Mind by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Conquered by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Awaiting Armageddon by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book William Faulkner by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book William Lowndes and the Transition of Southern Politics, 1782-1822 by Dale M. Bauer
Cover of the book Country Soul by Dale M. Bauer
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy