Today, women need once again to develop the bonds of 'sisterhood' which can provide the support which our families, our 'significant other' relartionships, and our social institutions have left void. One important way of doing this is to turn to examples of literary friendships. Eleven original essays offer a variety of perspectives on the changing ways in which women's friendships have been viewed. The contributors discuss the fundamental values of women's friendships and communication in order to understand the many parallels and intersections between literature and life.
Discussion is divided into four overlapping sections.
The inherent intimacy of diaries, journals, and letters can affect the fiction which women authors write. Additionally, women's friendships are important images in colonial nineteenth and twentieth century novels by women. Beginning in the eighteenth century, the role of female friendships took on political overtones, as the chapters in the third section discuss. Lastly, female friendship is depicted in novels and stories from non-Anglo cultures. By looking at various types of friendships and by examining how they either lapse or develop into strong relationships, we may better understand ourselves and our own relationships.