About the book
Susanna Rowson — novelist, actress, playwright, poet, school founder, and early national celebrity — bears little resemblance to the title character in her most famous creation, Charlotte Temple. Yet this best-selling novel has long been perceived as the prime exemplar of female passivity and subjugation in the early Republic. Marion Rust disrupts this view by placing the novel in the context of Rowson’s life and other writings. Rust shows how an early form of American sentimentalism mediated the constantly shifting balance between autonomy and submission that is key to understanding both Rowson’s work and the lives of early American women.
Rust proposes that Rowson found a wide female audience in the young Republic because she articulated meaningful female agency without sacrificing accountability to authority, a particularly useful skill in a nation that idealized womanhood while denying women the most basic rights. Rowson, herself an expert at personal reinvention, invited her readers, theatrical audiences, and students to value carefully crafted female self-presentation as an instrument for the attainment of greater influence. Prodigal Daughters demonstrates some of the ways in which literature and lived experience overlapped, especially for women trying to find room for themselves in an increasingly hostile public arena.
Editions of Prodigal Daughters
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807831403
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807858929
- EBook
- ISBN 9781469600840
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807838815
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890881663
Read an Excerpt
Susanna Rowson — novelist, actress, playwright, poet, school founder, and early national celebrity — bears little resemblance to the title character in her most famous creation, Charlotte Temple. Yet this best-selling novel has long been perceived as the prime exemplar of female passivity and subjugation in the early Republic. Marion Rust disrupts this view by placing the novel in the context of Rowson’s life and other writings. Rust shows how an early form of American sentimentalism mediated the constantly shifting balance between autonomy and submission that is key to understanding both Rowson’s work and the lives of early American women.
Rust proposes that Rowson found a wide female audience in the young Republic because she articulated meaningful female agency without sacrificing accountability to authority, a particularly useful skill in a nation that idealized womanhood while denying women the most basic rights. Rowson, herself an expert at personal reinvention, invited her readers, theatrical audiences, and students to value carefully crafted female self-presentation as an instrument for the attainment of greater influence. Prodigal Daughters demonstrates some of the ways in which literature and lived experience overlapped, especially for women trying to find room for themselves in an increasingly hostile public arena.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Prodigal Daughters about?
Susanna Rowson — novelist, actress, playwright, poet, school founder, and early national celebrity — bears little resemblance to the title character in her most famous creation, Charlotte Temple. Yet this best-selling novel has long been perceived as the prime exemplar of female passivity and subjugation in the early Republic. Marion Rust disrupts this view by placing the novel in the context of Rowson’s life and other writings. Rust shows how an early form of American sentimentalism mediated the constantly shifting balance between autonomy and submission that is key to understanding both Rowson’s work and the lives of early American women.
Rust proposes that Rowson found a wide female audience in the young Republic because she articulated meaningful female agency without sacrificing accountability to authority, a particularly useful skill in a nation that idealized womanhood while denying women the most basic rights. Rowson, herself an expert at personal reinvention, invited her readers, theatrical audiences, and students to value carefully crafted female self-presentation as an instrument for the attainment of greater influence. Prodigal Daughters demonstrates some of the ways in which literature and lived experience overlapped, especially for women trying to find room for themselves in an increasingly hostile public arena.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Prodigal Daughters?
Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism
Where can I read a sample of Prodigal Daughters?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807831403
How long is Prodigal Daughters and how many pages does it have?
Prodigal Daughters has 328 page(s)
Is Prodigal Daughters part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?
Yes it is a part of series Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture and the University of North Carolina Press
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Prodigal Daughters?
Marion Rust
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Prodigal Daughters is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807831403) and paperback(ISBN 9780807858929) and ebook(ISBN 9781469600840) and ebook(ISBN 9780807838815) and pdf(ISBN 9798890881663)
Where can I buy Prodigal Daughters online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy Prodigal Daughters from below
Where can I buy Prodigal Daughters?