Drops of Life: The Short Fiction of Sarah Orne Jewett, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather

Abstract

The short fiction of three popular and successful female authors, Sarah Orne Jewett, Edith Wharton, and Willa Cather, is reflective of how literature kept pace with the changes in society during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A majoity of their fiction dealth with women. They effectively portrayed their characters not only as society viewed them but also as their characters viewed society. Sonce the years between 1885 and 1915 are considered a watershed between the old and the new roles of women, it will be interesting to see how accurately the short fiction published by these three authors during that span of time coincides with society's changing perceptions of women, marriage, and divorce.