Unit 2
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Adrienne Rich, Nancy Mairs, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, bell hooks
Overview
Charlotte Perkins Gilman is our transition writer into Unit 2, as she is still presenting her personal experiences through fiction in “The Yellow Wallpaper.” In this unit we cover the 20th century, a time of tremendous shift for women. Women writers begin to get very personal, particularly as they address their status in society. Gilman addresses motherhood and postpartum depression through a short story, while Adrienne Rich and Nancy Mairs make the brave move to memoir and nonfiction in order to relate their experiences with marriage and motherhood. By the time we get to Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, we see confessional writers exploring their experiences with addiction, abortion, even suicide attempts—through confessional poetry. We will examine why some women find the strength to overcome adversity, while others cannot. Themes in this unit include societal pressures, motherhood, destructive coping, addiction and mental illness.
Click on the following images for Unit Two Women Writers. Each writer has her own page.
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