Embattled Landscapes: Regionalism and Gender in Midwestern Literature, 1915-1941 (Ruth Suckow, Bess Streeter Aldrich, Paul Corey, Eleanor Blake, the Midl and ).

Abstract

In this dissertation, I define regionalism in literature as the effort to define and defend a region. It has these characteristics: it affirms the image of the region it creates; it uses local details to characterize the region and to link local issues with general concerns; and it is as much about women's lives in the region as men's. Regional novels describe patriarchal l and scapes, implicitly or explicitly criticizing them. In chapter one, I review the major ways in which regionalism has been defined--as the use of local details, as literature about a region, as a movement in literary history. Chapter two is a study of The Midl and , a literary magazine published and edited by John T. Frederick from 1915 to 1933. My primary focus is on Frederick's editorials and the definition of regionalism which evolves during the time of Midl and 's publication. I analyze some representative Midl and stories which illustrate the three basic features of regional novels. In chapter three, I discuss regional novels by Paul Corey and Geoffrey Eaton. Eaton's novel, Backfurrow, creates a detailed image of rural Michigan which criticizes some of its aspects. A social reforming novelist, Paul Corey argues for the value of the region as well as advocating social change. In chapter four, I discuss novels by Bess Streeter Aldrich and Eleanor Blake. Like Corey, Aldrich is an overt and enthusiastic champion of the region. In Seedtime and Harvest, Blake creates an image of rural Michigan which is as tempered as Eaton's. However, Seedtime differs from Backfurrow in that the major concern in the novel is not the future of farming, but rather the future of Else on the farm. Finally, in chapter five, I discuss four novels by Ruth Suckow. Suckow uses Iowa as the setting for much of her work; however, her consistent focus is on the lives of women in the region. The problems of a sexist society permeate the image of the region. Gender issues are not just a part of the region; in Suckow's work, they characterize the region.