Toward a Feminist Reading of Herman Melville's Stories About the Material Conditions of Writing

Abstract

Feminist criticism contributes a stimulating, if still compact, scholarshipin the field of Melville studies. The past three decades of feministstudy have not only revisited questions of Melville and misogyny,but also renewed interest in his short fiction, poetry, andPierre;opened upmultiple significances of gendered figures in his texts; reconsidered his careerthrough new historical models of authorship; and more. This year's MLA panelprovided the occasion to extend the inquiry in a range of approaches thataddress a range of texts.