Rita Mae Brown

by Carol M. Ward

Perhaps the best summation of Rita Mae Brown is that which she gives of "I'm a writer and I'm a woman and I'm from the South and I'm alive." Often categorized as essentially a lesbian or feminist writer, Brown has had to contend with her works being sometimes overshadowed by her politics and hence has not received the scholarly attention she might have otherwise. But the wit and exuberance of her novels, as well as their continued popularity, are testament to Brown's importance as a modern American author. Her first published works were political essays, and by the 1970s she was an active figure in the women's and gay liberation movements.
In Rita Mae Brown, Carol M. Ward guides the reader through critical analysis of the novels of this author whose subversiveness is honeyed with characters of spirited individuality and humor. Ward discusses Brown's version of the historical and the autobiographical novel and places her within the tradition of American Southern writers. She also examines how Brown's awareness of sexual, class, and regional differences has informed her fiction and its form, particularly as she deals with the themes of home and community. This needed study sheds light on an author whose political background has produced life-affirming fiction and a body of work that is of ever-increasing interest. Rita Mae Brown includes a bibliography helpful to admirers and students of Brown's work.

191 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1993