Sex Expression and American Women Writers, 1860-1940

“Building her analysis on a foundation of recent historical studies that have argued for the 'sexualization' of American culture during this transitional era, Bauer allows us to see the deliberate strategies women writers brought to this broad cultural development. This is a fascinating study that explores major cultural debates and alerts us to quirky, illuminating texts.” — Nancy Bentley, University of Pennsylvania

“Bauer’s ambitious and immensely interesting work explores the ways in which women writers from the 1860s to the 1940s sought to shift articulations about female sexuality from debates about rights or consent to expressions of sex itself, and how those expressions were alternately, and sometimes simultaneously, both liberated and constrained by such considerations as 'age, appearance, health, and sexual literacy.'” — Elizabeth Barnes, College of William and Mary

“Demonstrates significant changes in attitudes toward women’s sexuality in popular fiction.” — CHOICE

“Bauer is immensely knowledgeable about the byways of American women writers, and she draws on a wide range of authors, some rarely discussed. . . . Fascinating . . . an intriguing account.” — Journal of American Studies

“A useful and intellectually stimulating collection of essays. . . . A wonderful starting point for further explorations of Creolism in the Americas.” — Legacy