As the American literary canon has undergone revision and expansion in recent years, the influence of women writers of the nineteenth century has been reevaluated. The first book of its kind, this reference provides alphabetically arranged entries for more than 70 nineteenth-century American women writers, such as Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Emma Lazarus, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and includes a biography, a discussion of the author's major works and themes, an overview of the critical studies examining the writer's works, and a bibliography of works for further consultation.
Part of an ongoing series covering the texts and lives of the most important women writers of English, this book contains introductory essays by Harold Bloom and provides biographical information, a wide selection of critical excerpts, and complete bibliographies of 11 authors.
Fifty-one essays cover the lives and works of the most important women writers in the history of French literature with an emphasis on their experiences as writers, a discussion of their major themes, and brief surveys of critical reactions. Each essay is followed by a bibliography of primary works, a list of titles translated into English, and a selection of critical studies. An additional essay describes the trobairitz, the women troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries. The volume ends with a chronology featuring the dates of events and trends of special significance to French women.
..."For all readers interested in the fabric of women's literature and women in a literary society, this book represents the highest achievement to date in Russian studies." Choice
Women have contributed to the literature of German-speaking countries since the Middle Ages, and they continue to write important works at the close of the 20th century. While research on texts by women writers in German-speaking countries has increased substantially, most of these authors remain virtually unknown to English-speaking scholars and students. The first work of its kind in English, this reference book contains alphabetically arranged entries for 54 Austrian, German, and Swiss women writers--such as Hrotsvit von Gandersheim, Louise Aston, Elfriede Jelinek, and Erica Pedretti--from the tenth century to the present day. Each entry includes a biography, a discussion of major themes, a survey of criticism, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An introductory essay overviews the history of literature by women in German-speaking countries, and an extensive bibliography concludes the volume.
Embracing Chicana, Cuban, Dominican, and Puerto Rican writers and writers descended from a combined US and Latin American heritage, Latina literature is one of the fastest growing and most exciting fields in fiction. This literature is characterised by revisionist views of recent history, a concern with exile and borders, a blending of genres, and a complex understanding of the term feminist. In these ten interviews, Kevane and Heredia give writers the opportunity to talk about how they began to write, the craft of writing, the conjunction of life, art and politics, literary influences, and their goals as artists. Readers will meet Julia Alvarez, Denise Chávez, Sandra Cisneros, Rosario Ferré, Cristina García, Nicholasa Mohr, Cherríe Moraga, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Esmeralda Santiago, and Helena María Viramontes. The writers' personal and literary journeys vividly portrayed in these interviews will enrich and enhance the readers' understanding of this exciting field. The volume also includes bibliographies of the writers' work.