Women in American Literature
It is difficult to imagine a world of literature without its influence from women. From essays to poems, from short stories to novels, women have changed and evolved the face of literature. Women have created some of the most treasured works in the literary world both in America and abroad. Each of their works tell a story, send a message, and evoke emotion. It is by these same stories and messages that American women have assisted in issues of civil rights, cultural degradation, and immigration. Their stories raise awareness among their audience and offer firsthand knowledge about issues otherwise left in the dark. American women lend their readers literary ammunition for life, social issues, and cultural protection. Women like Zitkala-Sa, Mary Antin, and Gloria Anzaldua wrote for a purpose. These women wanted to leave an impact, not only in literature, but in life.
_ What I'm fighting for now in my work... for an
expression relevant to all manner of blacks, poems I could take into a
tavern, into the street, into the halls of a housing project.
-Gwendolyn Brooks
-Gwendolyn Brooks