Bronxville-Eastchester|Local Event
Better than a Beach Read: Early 20th Century U.S. Women’s Literature as History
Thursdays from 9:00am-11:00am
June 25 to July 30, 2026 (6 weeks)
learn.slc.edu/courses/lifelong-learning-early-20th-century-us-womens-literature-as-history
These six novels – one for every week – will introduce you not only to six remarkable women writers from the first half of the 20th century, but also to the worlds that they illustrate through a window to their time.
While reading the novels is not required, it is very much recommended. A lecture establishing the history embedded in the novels and a background look at the authors who wrote them will be followed by discussion.
At the end of each lecture, Lyde will recommend three other novels, linked to the themes of that week.
We will read and consider:
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (yes, 1899, but arguably precocious)
Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth (1905)
Willa Cather’s My Antonia (1918)
Nella Larsen’s two novellas Quicksand and Passing (1928, 1929)
Josephine Johnson’s Now in November (1934)
Carson McCuller’s The Member of the Wedding (1943)