Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
8-2008
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Mark Holland
Committee Members
Ronald K. Giles, Theresa A. Lloyd
Abstract
Loyalty to the self, family, and husband create interesting tensions for feminine characters in Appalachian literature. Traditional views of loyalty dictate that the Appalachian woman chooses to be loyal to her husband and family while abandoning her self loyalty. Appalachian women writers define the terms of loyalty and the conflicts these three levels create. Furthermore, studying a progression of novels from 1926 to the present shows that feminine loyalty trends have changed. This argument focuses on examining loyalty trends of feminine Appalachian characters, studying the contentions among those loyalties, specifically showing how loyalty patterns have changed in literature, and offering speculation on why these loyalty patterns have changed progressively in Appalachian literature. The study includes five Appalachian novels: The Time of Man by Elizabeth Madox Roberts, The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, and The Midwife's Tale by Gretchen Morgan Laskas.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Daniel, Candace Jean, "The Evolution of Feminine Loyalty Trends in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Appalachian Literature." (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1954. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1954
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Included in
Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Women's Studies Commons