The Story Less Told: Representations in the Inter-War Years of the American White Working Class by Four Female Authors

This thesis will study novels written in the interwar years by four female authors: Anzia Yezierska, Fielding Burke, Grace Lumpkin, and Myra Page. While a general overview of these authors’ biographies, writing styles, themes, and approaches to issues surrounding race and religion will be provided, the thesis’ main focuses are as follows: studying the way in which the authors treat gender through their representation of working-class women; exploring the interaction between art and propaganda in their novels; and considering the extent to which their backgrounds and life experiences influence their writing.