Irish-American Catholic Women Writers vs. the Church
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- ISBN 9781041258667
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 17 Aug 2026
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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This compelling study examines how Irish-American Catholic women writers challenged centuries-old Church mandates through their literary works published between 1957 and 2017. The book analyzes novels and memoirs that document these women's systematic rejection of religious expectations for female silence, obedience, social isolation, and intellectual limitation. Instead of conforming to traditional roles, these writers pursued education, excelled academically, and built careers in the male-dominated publishing industry.
The work explores how these authors openly defied religious dogma through interfaith marriages, divorce, and extramarital relationships, while candidly addressing sexuality and sexual orientation in their writing. Rather than remaining confined to domestic spheres, they established themselves as professional writers and editors, using their platforms to reshape both women's life writing and the broader Irish-American literary tradition. Through detailed literary analysis, this study demonstrates how personal resistance translated into artistic innovation, showing how these women's refusal to accept prescribed limitations enabled them to transform literary forms and expand the boundaries of Irish-American cultural expression.
This volume will be essential for scholars of Irish-American studies, women's literature, Catholic studies, feminist literary criticism, and twentieth-century American literature, as well as researchers interested in religion and gender dynamics.
Sally Barr Ebest is Professor Emerita in the English Department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she taught for 30 years.
