Female Writers and the Gender Issue in Edith Wharton’s “Writing A War Story”

Abstract

The Great War brought about important changes in the way society perceived gender roles and norms. Women entered the public sphere because their contribution was needed to the war effort; they were assigned various jobs, which allowed them to become more independent than ever before. Stereotypes and patriarchal bias were still common, and women writers tried to use literature as a medium to propagate feminist ideas. It is the case of Edith Wharton who, although not a declared feminist, attempted to challenge patriarchal power. Her short story “Writing a War Story” introduces the reader to a plot that becomes subversive to male authority.

Keywords

• edith wharton; gender; modernism; politics; wwi.