The Purity Problem: Analyzing American Women's Literature and Sex Expression of the Nineteenth CenturyShow full item record
Title | The Purity Problem: Analyzing American Women's Literature and Sex Expression of the Nineteenth Century |
---|---|
Author | Thompson, Katelyn |
Date | 2021 |
Genre | Thesis |
Degree | Master of Arts |
Abstract | This thesis examines the nineteenth-century notion of purity as an origin for contemporary purity culture. Focusing on American women’s literature as a site for change, the following chapters explore the work of Ann Stephens, Frances E. W. Harper, and Kate Chopin. By utilizing both the historical legacy of scholarship and contemporary criticism surrounding these authors, this thesis offers textual analysis of the depiction of women’s sex expression and desire throughout the four texts examined. This examination provides an analysis of notions of purity as a method of controlling people historically identified as women, the ways and reasons some women writers supported purity ideals, and what they saw as the impact of confining women’s sex expression. Ultimately, this work concludes that nineteenth-century American women’s literature reinforced purity discourse, and future work with the texts must acknowledge the impact of notions of purity. |
Link | https://repository.tcu.edu/handle/116099117/47708 |
Department | English |
Advisor | Gaul, Theresa Strouth |
Files in this item
- Name:
- ThompsonKatelyn_thesis.pdf
- Size:
- 732.7Kb
- Format:
Request a copy of the document
Embargoed until: 2023-04-26
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Masters Theses [4075]
Related items
Showing a few items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
The Space Between: An analysis of the semiotic interplay between cinema and literature as is present through landscape in Children of Men
Shaw, Austin (2018)Film and literature have fascinated audiences for as long as each respective form has been available, but often times for differing reasons. Whereas each form has intricate and unique ways of conveying imagery, crafting ... -
Law And Literature: Allies--Not Adversaries
Perrotti, Austin (2017)This thesis will explore the topics of law and literature through the scope of James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time. In doing this, I will begin by introducing two perspectives of law and literature, one by Ian Ward and the ... -
The Importance of Agency: Female Role Models in Young Adult Literature
Lindsey, Mary (2015)Because of a history of gender inequality, women and girls are routinely misrepresented in mainstream media. For girls, especially adolescents, this negative representation can have a profoundly detrimental effect as they ...
© TCU Library 2015 | Contact Special Collections |
HTML Sitemap