Josephine Herbst's short fiction
Subtitle: a window to her life and times
By: Barbara Wiedemann.
Publisher: Susquehanna University Press; Associated University Presses
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Selinsgrove, [PA]; London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 156
Subjects: Herbst, Josephine, 1892-1969 -- Criticism and interpretation.; Literature and society -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Women and literature -- United States -- History -- 20th century.; Social problems in literature.; Radicalism in literature.; Short story.
Description: A native of Iowa and long-time resident of Pennsylvania, Josephine Herbst (1892-1969), well known and highly regarded in the 1930s, was the author of seven novels, twenty-seven short stories, a biography, and numerous journal and newspaper articles. In the current study, the first on Herbst's short fiction, the author provides a critical discussion of each of Herbst's stories, including relevant biographical and historical data.

Throughout her career, Herbst, in her stories, explored women's oppression by the dominant male culture. She suggested that women are restricted by their roles as wives and mothers, a theme found in "The Elegant Mr. Gason" and "Dry Sunday in Connecticut." But some of her characters break out of these supporting roles and establish a degree of self-sufficiency, such as Miranda in "A Man of Steel"; however, others pay emotionally for their independence, as Mrs. Sidney does in "The Enemy."
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-152) and index.