Mother Reader Essential Writings on Motherhood

In memoirs, testimonials, diaries, essays, and fiction, 30 women writers describe the changes made in their lives by pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering. Includes contributions by Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, Sylvia Plath, Alice Walker, and others.

MOYRA DAVEY is a photographer whose work has appeared in Harper's, Grand Street, Documents, and The New York Times. Davey has exhibited her work widely in the U.S. and Canada, as well as overseas, and is represented by American Fine Arts Co. in New York.

Acknowledgments

xi

Introduction

xiii

JOURNALS, MEMOIRS, ESSAYS

Excerpt from Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography, to 1949

3

(10)

Doris Lessing

Excerpt from On the Side of the Angels: The Second Volume of the Journals of Elizabeth Smart

13

(6)

Elizabeth Smart

Excerpt from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

19

(8)

Sylvia Plath

Excerpt from ``On Being a Grandmother''

27

(6)

Margaret Mead

``Feminism and Motherhood''

33

(14)

Susan Griffin

``Documentation IV: Transitional Objects, Diary and Diagram'' and ``Experimentum Mentis IV---On Femininity''

47

(14)

Mary Kelly

Excerpt from The Mother Knot

61

(20)

Jane Lazarre

``Anger and Tenderness''

81

(18)

Adrienne Rich

``A Writer Because of, Not in Spite of, Her Children''

99

(4)

Alice Walker

``Writer-Mothers: The Fundamental Situation''

103

(10)

Tillie Olsen

``Writing and Motherhood''

113

(26)

Susan Rubin Suleiman

``One Child of One's Own: A Meaningful Digression within the Work(s)''

139

(16)

Alice Walker

``A Wild Surmise: Motherhood and Poetry''

155

(6)

Alicia Ostriker

``The Fisherwoman's Daughter''

161

(26)

Ursula K. Le Guin

``Talking About `Mothers'''

187

(12)

Sara Ruddick

Excerpt from the M/E/A/N/I/N/G Forum: On Motherhood, Art, and Apple Pie

199

(12)

Susan Bee

Mira Schor

Myrel Chernick

Dena Shottenkirk

Joan Snyder

Elke Solomon

Martha Wilson

Barbara Zucker

``Novels and Navels''

211

(14)

Nancy Huston

``A Little Bit of Loss''

225

(6)

Ellen McMahon

``The Case Against Babies''

231

(10)

Joy Williams

``Beginning''

241

(6)

Mona Simpson

``For Molly Entering College (August 1997)''

247

(2)

Joan Snyder

``Notes on Early Motherhood''

249

(4)

Vivian Montgomery

``A Woman's Prerogative''

253

(12)

Mary Gaitskill

STORIES

``I Stand Here Ironing''

265

(8)

Tillie Olsen

``A Subject of Childhood''

273

(8)

Grace Paley

``Good Housekeeping''

281

(4)

Rosellen Brown

``Learning the Rules''

285

(16)

Buchi Emecheta

``My Death''

301

(10)

Lynda Schor

``Giving Birth''

311

(14)

Margaret Atwood

Excerpt from A Frozen Woman

325

(12)

Annie Ernaux

Excerpt from Beloved

337

(4)

Toni Morrison

``The Old Dictionary''

341

(4)

Lydia Davis

Contributors

345

(8)

Permissions

353

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Mother Reader Essential Writings on Motherhood

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials