This Giving Birth: Pregnancy and Childbirth in American Women's Writing [Paperback]

Julie Tharp (Editor), Susan MacCallum-Whitcomb (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0879728086 | ISBN-13: 978-0879728083 | Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Compelling essays which underline the central place pregnancy and childbirth hold in women’s writing. Embracing three centuries of prose and poetry, the anthology traces the evolution of American maternity literature, exploring the difficulties mothers faced as they struggled to transform themselves from objects into maternal subjects. Women as diverse as Anne Bradstreet, Anne Sexton, Sharon Olds, Kate Chopin, Toni Morrison, and Louise Erdrich all labored to reclaim the birthing process by giving voice to experiences and emotions long devalued by a patriarchal culture. Their voices resonate throughout this collection.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Julie Tharp received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. She teaches English and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Marshfield/Wood County, where she is an Associate Professor. She co-edited Creating Safe Space: Violence and Women's Writing with Tomoko Kuribayashi and has published a number of articles on writing by women of color, Louise Erdrich, Helena Maria Viramontes, and Joy Kogawa in particular. Other research interests include feminist film criticism and Native American quilting. She has given birth to a daughter and a son.

Susan MacCallum-Whitcomb holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of New Brunswick (Canada) and has been granted awards by the University of Toronto, the University of New Brunswick and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She teaches courses in American Literature at the University of New Brunswick and has published numerous articles on American women's poetry. Susan is a member of the advisory board for the Association for Research on Mothering and the mother of two young children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Popular Press 1 (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879728086
• ISBN-13: 978-0879728083
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,799,066 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine and celebatory literary survey., June 4, 2000

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Giving Birth: Pregnancy and Childbirth in American Women's Writing (Paperback)

This Giving Birth: Pregnancy And Childbirth In American Women's Writing offers an engaging and informative series of essays on the central place pregnancy and childbirth hold in American's women's writing. Surveying three centuries of prose and poetry, This Giving Birth traces the evolution of American maternity literature, exploring the difficulties mothers faced as they struggled to transform themselves from objects into maternal subjects. This Giving Birth showcases the writings of women as diverse as Anne Bradstreet, Anne Sexton, and Sharon Olds, to Kate Chopin, Tony Morrison, and Louise Erdich. Blending the canonical with the contemporary, This Giving Birth is a literary celebration and a highly recommended addition to students of American literature, and women's studies reading lists.