Creating the Appalachian Woman: An Anthology of Appalachian Women Writers, 1865-1884.

This anthology of nineteenth-century women’s regional fiction, written in the mode of canon revision, explores how persistent stereotypes of Appalachian women originated. These stereotypes are not merely identified but are also considered in the context of women’s studies. Works by the following six authors are included: Elizabeth Appleton, Rebecca Harding Davis, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Constance Fenimore Woolson, Sherwood Bonner, and Mary Noailles Murfree. Topics addressed include nineteenth-century women as authors, the influence of northern literary magazines on regional writing, the image of the Appalachian woman in fiction, and the critical evaluation of primary texts. Original work required for the completion of a master’s thesis comes by way of a thirty-page analytical introduction, six biographical headnote entries, and an extended bibliography of primary works by Appalachian women writers