Leslie Lindenauer: I Could Not Call Her Mother: The Stepmother in American Popular Culture

From Cinderella to Stepmonster, stories of the evil stepmother have infused popular culture for centuries and continue to do so today. Despite the fact that the stepmother remains a prevalent figure, scholars have largely avoided addressing this fraught character. I Could Not Call Her Mother explores representations of the stepmother in American popular culture from the colonial period to the 1960s. When considered in her historical context, the stepmother serves as a bellwether for changing conceptions about what constitutes the ideal mother and family. Leslie J. Lindenauer is associate professor of history at Western Connecticut State University. Please register at hchlibrary.org.