Mothers and Daughters in American Short Fiction : An Annotated Bibliography of Twentieth-Century Women's Literature

In 1976, Adrienne Rich wrote that the mother-daughter bond is the great unwritten story, awaiting analysis and definition. Since then, many voices have come to fill the gap, including those of American fiction writers. This bibliography provides information on short stories that explore the mother-daughter relationship. The general introduction and the annotations analyze approximately 250 stories written by American women in the 20th century. Most of the stories were written during the past two decades and reflect a reevaluation of the mother-daughter bond and its impact on women's lives. The bibliography is arranged thematically with chapters on abuse and neglect, aging, alienation, death, expectations, nurturance, and portraits. Each chapter begins with an introductory overview and collective analysis of the stories in the chapter. The volume includes author, title, and subject indexes.