Document Type
Thesis - University Access Only
Award Date
1999
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department / School
English
Abstract
Both Willa Cather and Bess Streeter Aldrich grew up hearing stories about first- generation pioneer women, and both upheld their respective female ancestors as models of strength and individualism. Cather and Aldrich each, in turn, created in their fiction believable and realistic female pioneer protagonists who retain many of the feminine qualities endorsed by their culture yet move beyond romanticized stereotypes. Although Cather's and Aldrich's female characters of the Plains embrace particular prescriptions outlined by the Cult of True Womanhood, they nonetheless disavow strict adherence to all genteel standards, which, therefore, makes them more realistic and lifelike than most fictionalized pioneer women.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Cather, Willa, 1873-1947 -- Criticism and interpretation Cather, Willa, 1873-1947 -- Characters -- Women Aldrich, Bess Streeter, 1881-1954 -- Criticism and interpretation Aldrich, Bess Streeter, 1881-1954 -- Characters -- Women Women pioneers in literature
Format
application/pdf
Number of Pages
111
Publisher
South Dakota State University
Recommended Citation
Haar, Kristen, "Willa Cather and Bess Streeter Aldrich : Portraying Realistic Women of the Plains in The Cult of True Womanhood" (1999). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 630.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/etd2/630