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Ellen Glasgow: Feminism through characterization

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Date Issued:
1989
Summary:
Ellen Glasgow's feminism is revealed in her fiction, especially through her characterization of women. In four representative novels, Glasgow's female characters underscore the problems of women--from the womanly woman of the Victorian era to the new woman of the twentieth century. In Virginia, Virginia Pendleton is the product of an education that teaches her to be a dutiful wife and mother yet neglects her personal growth. In The Sheltered Life, Eva Birdsong is a victim of the myth of Southern Womanhood and its unrealistic expectations. Glasgow also attempts to show that character is fate, and women can turn to their inner resources to solve their problems. Thus Dorinda Oakley of Barren Ground enters the man's world of farming, and Ada Fincastle of Vein of Iron relies on her inherited fortitude to triumph over personal disappointments and the forces of social change. In these novels, Glasgow exposes the conservative educational, religious, and social influences that impinge on the development of women as total human beings. Ellen Glasgow's contribution to the feminist movement lies in her commitment to what she called women's "liberation of personality."
Title: Ellen Glasgow: Feminism through characterization.
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Name(s): Catapano, Tanya R.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Coyle, William, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 1989
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 84 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Ellen Glasgow's feminism is revealed in her fiction, especially through her characterization of women. In four representative novels, Glasgow's female characters underscore the problems of women--from the womanly woman of the Victorian era to the new woman of the twentieth century. In Virginia, Virginia Pendleton is the product of an education that teaches her to be a dutiful wife and mother yet neglects her personal growth. In The Sheltered Life, Eva Birdsong is a victim of the myth of Southern Womanhood and its unrealistic expectations. Glasgow also attempts to show that character is fate, and women can turn to their inner resources to solve their problems. Thus Dorinda Oakley of Barren Ground enters the man's world of farming, and Ada Fincastle of Vein of Iron relies on her inherited fortitude to triumph over personal disappointments and the forces of social change. In these novels, Glasgow exposes the conservative educational, religious, and social influences that impinge on the development of women as total human beings. Ellen Glasgow's contribution to the feminist movement lies in her commitment to what she called women's "liberation of personality."
Identifier: 14527 (digitool), FADT14527 (IID), fau:11325 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1989.
Subject(s): Glasgow, Ellen Anderson Gholson,--1873-1945--Criticism and interpretation
Feminism and literature
Women in literature
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14527
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.