Navigating Women’s Friendships in American Literature and Culture (American Literature Readings in the 21st Century) ISBN-13: 9783031080029

ISBN-13: 9783031080029

Binding: Hardcover

Author: Branham, Kristi

Release Date: 11-11-2022

Languages: english

Edition: 1st ed. 2023

Number Of Pages: 342

Package Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches

Details: This volume presents a collection of critical essays that center women’s friendship in women’s literary and artistic production. Analyzing cultural portrayals of women’s friendships in fiction, letters, and film, these essays collectively suggest new models of literary interpretation that do not prioritize heterosexual romance. Instead, this book represents friendships as mature and meaningful relationships that contribute to identity formation and political coalition. Both the supportive and competitive aspects of friendships are shown to be crucial to women’s identities as individuals, political citizens, and artists. Addressing the complexities of how 20th- and 21st-century cultural texts construe women’s friendships as they navigate patriarchal institutions, this collection advances scholarship on friendship beyond men and masculine models.