Exploring the contributions of notable female authors, this book delves into the literary works of Mme de Stael, George Eliot, Anna Banti, Alice Munro, and Grace Paley. It examines how these writers navigate themes of identity, gender, and society, highlighting their unique perspectives and narrative styles. Through critical analysis, the text reveals the impact of their stories on literature and the significance of their voices in shaping cultural discourse. The work celebrates the richness of women's literature and its enduring relevance.
Set against a backdrop of significant historical change, this memoir intertwines personal and familial stories. It features Deborah Heller's great-great-grandmother, a trailblazer in her German village for defying traditional customs, and a notable seventeenth-century Talmudic scholar who faced imprisonment for his beliefs. The narrative explores themes of resilience and cultural identity, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of Heller's ancestors as they navigated their lives and legacies in both Europe and America.
Toronto literary scholar Deborah Heller describes Munro's treatment of mother-daughter relationships in four more recent stories, "My Mother's Dream," "Family Furnishings," "Soon," and "Silence," showing how these later works transform the earlier autobiographical material in surprising ways. "A fascinating exploration of the uneven terrain of mother-daughter relationships . . . This raw territory, including the mutual hatreds and resentments that Munro portrays so painfully, is perhaps best dealt with in fiction. The emotional landscape is mapped carefully in Deborah Heller's thoughtful and provocative essay. Her subject is intense, and intriguing, and has made me want to go back and read Munro again." -Pamela Hook, Los Gatos, CA "Reading Deborah Heller's essay, one comes upon entirely new layers of meaning in Munro's stories-insights which illuminate the troubled relationships being described. Lovers of Alice Munro, mothers, daughters, feminists, and anyone interested in the mother-daughter connection-this is a "must read"! -Susan Sherrell, Oakland, CA "Ouch! . . . really touches a nerve!" -Beverly Marcus, Seattle, WA "A gratifying analysis of complex daughter-mother relationships . . ." -Claudia Singer, Malden, MA
