Product Description

Liz Ammons's book examines the dramatic appearance, at the turn of the century, of a highly talented group of American women writers from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. How isolated occurrences of talent coalesced into a virtual phenomenon, and against what historical and social obstacles women of the early twentieth century contended, are recurring themes of Ammons' study. Posthumous barriers exist for these women today in the form of literary obscurity; Ammons seeks to overturn these barriers and broaden public recognition beyond individual, received authors (such as Wharton and Cather) by demonstrating the abilities of their peers. With extensive inclusion of numerous previously neglected women writers of African-American descent, Conflicting Stories joins a highly topical debate, and offers a necessary revision of mainstream criticism's simplified reading of America's literary past.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1434911 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 248 pages

Review
"An exciting collection which places superb turn-of-the-century women writers in the context of pioneering artists, a long overdue revisionary perspective."--Roseanne Hoefel, Alma College
"A worthy and important contribution to Women's Studies."--June Sochen, Northeastern Illinois University
"Fills a gap; places black women writers in context of American women's literary history."--Fahamisha Patricia Brown, Boston College
"Thanks to a glorious wealth of historical and biographical detail, Elizabeth Ammons's new book proves beyond a shadow of a doubt what many had only hoped was true: that the history of American women's writing, created by Native American, African American, Asian American, Jewish American, and white Christian American authors, comprises one diverse and variegated body of work, a body all too often suppressed, effaced, erased, but here celebrated for its richness, its suffering, and its triumph."--American Literature
"Brilliant....This is a very important book whose influence will be felt for a long time. It should be read by all serious teachers and scholars of the period and should have a prominent place in advanced literature courses. I recommend it highly."--Journal of English and Germanic Philology