Date of Graduation
2003
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MA
Committee Chair
Anna Elfenbein
Abstract
The Feminist Press has recently reissued a book that, after attention from modern scholars, will change the face of Appalachian literature and women’s studies. This book is Myra Page’s Daughter of the Hills. Page’s work encompasses the issues present in women’s studies, proletarian and Appalachian discourse. In this paper I will examine characters of the book to determine the roles of women, using three pertinent areas of theory: ecofeminism, gender criticism and proletarian theory. Using the ideas of Carolyn Merchant, Deborah Rosenfelt, Barbara Foley, Annette Kolodny and more, I will show that women and men had a different relationship to the land, that women often assumed male roles in Appalachia, and that Page turned proletarian literature on its ear by creating a female proletarian hero. In addition, I will link Page’s work to present-day Appalachian works to show the surviving themes in this genre.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Mary Claire, "Art as a weapon: Land, gender and work in Myra Page's "Daughter of the Hills"." (2003). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 10718.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10718