The Distaff and the Staff: Stereotypes and Archetypes of the Older Woman in Representative Modern Literature

Abstract

Belles-lettres, dealing with what it means to be human, serve to expose stereotypes, strip them away, and reveal the truth behind the misconceptions, often in terms of archetypes. An all-too-common subject of stereotyping is the aging of women. Much modern fiction and poetry cogently exposes such demeaning stereotypes. References to twenty-five representative poems and nine works of fiction by thirty-five modern authors (American, British, Australian, French) demonstrate that the elderly woman often survives with dignity, even nobility, in a society often insensitive to her plight, that she often ages with grace, retaining her independence, fortitude, and passion for life.

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