Reviews (1)

There IS a difference.
Why is the class clown usually a boy? Why does everyone laugh when guys tell fart and booger jokes, but if a woman tells the same jokes, the jokes fall flat? Why do women value a sense of humor in a man, but men rarely mention it as important in their ideal woman? Imagine a woman writing a Dave Barry-style column--it wouldn't work. There IS a difference. Nancy Walker's book really connected with me. I learned about women humorists writing at the same time Mark Twain was, about the minority aspects of humor, and why women are reluctant to appear funny to men, but not to each other. For a scholarly book, this was a fun (and funny) read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American wit and humor    2. Feminism and literature    3. General    4. History and criticism    5. Humor    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. Women and literature    9. Women authors   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. English literature    3. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    4. English-speaking countries    5. Feminism and literature    6. History    7. History and criticism    8. Literary Criticism    9. Literature - Classics / Criticism    10. Semiotics & Theory    11. Women and literature    12. Women authors    13. English    14. Literary Criticism & Collections / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    15. Literary Criticism-Semiotics & Theory    16. Literary studies: from c 1900 -    17. United Kingdom, Great Britain    18. Women's studies   

Reviews (1)

Awesome text for womanist readers! (bell was wrong, btw)
I didn't read all of this book, but I know it's a winner.Female readers should not be threatened by the introduction being written by Gates, a man.He has consistently supported work by women and gay men and shown himself to be quite the cool straight man.In this book, many academics analyze well-known texts by black women.You'll be relieved that it's critical, and not gushy or essentialist.Here's my one big problem.In her discussion of Walker's "The Color Purple", hook condemns Walker for turning Celie into a capitalist after all the racist, sexist, and classist (and possibly homophobic) exploitation she faced throughout her life.However, what hooks fails to realize is that Celie created a business called "Folks Pants" that made clothes fit for both genders and all sizes.The "folk" in the title has very socialist implications.hooks should be pleased that Celie finally has some agency and can live by her own means and on her own terms.Methinks hooks is jealous of Walker's success. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African American Literature    3. African American authors    4. American - African American & Black    5. American - General    6. American literature    7. Feminism and literature    8. History    9. History and criticism    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism    11. Literature: Classics    12. United States    13. Women As Authors (American Literature)    14. Women and literature    15. Black studies    16. Literary theory   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. African American Literature    3. African American authors    4. American - African American & Black    5. American fiction    6. Feminism and literature    7. History    8. History and criticism    9. Literary Criticism    10. Literature - Classics / Criticism    11. Slavery in literature    12. United States    13. Women Authors    14. Women In American Literature    15. Black studies    16. English    17. Literary Criticism & Collections / American    18. Literary studies: general    19. Slavery & emancipation    20. USA    21. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Characters    2. Duras, Marguerite    3. Duras, Marguerite - Prose & Criticism    4. Feminism in literature    5. Literature - Classics / Criticism    6. Sex role in literature    7. Sociology    8. Women    9. Women In Literature    10. English    11. Novels, other prose & writers   

Subjects:  1. 1939-    2. 20th century    3. American - General    4. Atwood, Margaret - Poems & Criticism    5. Atwood, Margaret - Prose & Criticism    6. Atwood, Margaret Eleanor,    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Canada    9. Criticism and interpretation    10. Feminism and literature    11. Feminist poetry    12. History    13. History and criticism    14. Literature - Classics / Criticism    15. Women and literature    16. American English    17. Atwood, Margaret Eleanor    18. Literary Criticism & Collections / Canadian    19. Literary studies: general    20. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    21. USA   

Reviews (7)

Interesting academic/literary theory analysis
What most of the reviewers here seem to have missed is that Romines's book is an academic analysis; don't read it if you're not interested in a textual analysis of the books. All that being said, as someone who loved the Little House books as a child and reread them as an adult, I was shocked to rediscover the gender and ethnic issues raised in the books. Romines book provided just the sort of scholarly analysis that I was looking for. I do feel that Romines made a few too many assumptions in her analyses (for example, the issue raised by other reviewers about the *subconscious* incestuous relationship between Laura and her father) -- but this may be because I don't really have a background in literary theory. Nonetheless, I was fascinated by the analysis of gender, race and ethnicity, consumption, age, etc., issues that are obvious when reading the books. In addition, Romines does a good job of making the book readable; she discusses her own love of the books from childhood to adulthood.

Interesting debate, way-out-there theories.
After reading good and not so good reviews of this book, I attempted to read this book with an open mind. Hard thing to do, especially if you are a Laura-fanatic. erudite and interesting
Romines' study of the Little House books is learned and informative.She alludes to many current discussions in literary studies.I recommend this book for the college student who is interested in children's literature and/or women's writing.Don't be put off by the negative reviews of readers who wanted hagiography rather than analysis. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1867-1957    2. 20th century    3. Books and reading    4. Children    5. Criticism and interpretation    6. Feminism & Feminist Theory    7. Feminism and literature    8. General    9. History    10. Literary Criticism    11. Literature - Classics / Criticism    12. Sociology    13. United States    14. Wilder, Laura Ingalls,    15. Women Authors    16. Women and literature    17. American English    18. Cultural studies    19. English    20. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -    21. USA    22. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. 1564-1616    2. 16th century    3. 17th century    4. Characters    5. England    6. Feminism and literature    7. History    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Performing Arts/Dance    10. Shakespeare    11. Shakespeare, William,    12. Women    13. Women and literature    14. English    15. Performing Arts / Theater / General    16. Shakespeare studies & criticism    17. Theatre, drama    18. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Cha, Theresa Hak Kyung    2. Dictee    3. Feminism and literature    4. Intellectual life    5. Korean American women    6. Korean Americans in literature    7. United States    8. Dictée   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. American literature    3. English literature    4. English-speaking countries    5. Feminist literary criticism    6. History and criticism    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Theory, etc    10. English    11. Feminism    12. Literary studies: from c 1900 -    13. USA   

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Feminism and literature    3. France    4. French fiction    5. History    6. History and criticism    7. Literary Criticism    8. Women and literature    9. Europe    10. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    11. French    12. Novels, other prose & writers: 19th century    13. Social history   

Subjects:  1. Computers and women    2. Cyberspace    3. Cyborgs    4. Feminism & Feminist Theory    5. Feminist literary criticism    6. Feminist theory    7. Gender Studies    8. Popular Culture - General    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Anthropology    12. Collections & anthologies of various literary forms    13. Impact of science & technology on society    14. Social Science / Gender Studies    15. Technology: General Issues    16. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Feminism & Feminist Theory    2. Feminism and literature    3. Feminist    4. France    5. French literature    6. History and criticism    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Sociology    9. Women Authors    10. Women and literature    11. Literary Criticism & Collections / General   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American literature    3. Feminism and literature    4. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    5. General    6. History    7. History and criticism    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. United States    11. Women and literature    12. Women authors    13. Women's Studies - General    14. Anthropology    15. Non-Christian sacred works & liturgy    16. Social Science / Gender Studies    17. Women's studies   

Subjects:  1. Feminism    2. Feminism & Feminist Theory    3. Feminism and literature    4. Feminist criticism    5. General    6. Reader-response criticism    7. Rhetoric    8. Social Science    9. Sociology   

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. 17th century    3. Drama    4. Early modern and Elizabethan,    5. Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600    6. England    7. English drama    8. English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    9. Feminism and literature    10. History    11. History and criticism    12. Literary Criticism    13. Literature - Classics / Criticism    14. Women Authors    15. British Isles    16. ENGLISH DRAMA_HISTORY AND CRITICISM_17TH CENTURY    17. ENGLISH DRAMA_HISTORY AND CRITICISM_EARLY MODERN AND ELIZABETHAN, 1500-1600    18. English    19. Feminism    20. Literary Criticism / Drama    21. Plays & playwrights: 16th to 18th centuries    22. RENAISSANCE_ENGLAND    23. WOMEN AND LITERATURE   

Subjects:  1. Feminism and literature    2. Feminist theory    3. Literary Criticism    4. Semiotics & Theory    5. Sociology    6. Women and literature    7. Women's Studies - General    8. Feminism    9. Literary Criticism & Collections / Theory    10. Literature/English | Literary Theory | Feminist Theory   

Subjects:  1. Feminist literary criticism    2. Literary Criticism   

Subjects:  1. Ecofeminism    2. Environmental Science    3. Environmental Studies    4. Feminist literary criticism    5. Applied ecology    6. Feminism   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Christian literature, American    6. Criticism and interpretation    7. Feminism and literature    8. History    9. History and criticism    10. Juvenile Literature    11. L'Engle, Madeleine    12. Literary    13. Popular American Fiction    14. United States    15. Women and literature