Date of Award
Spring 5-6-2022
Abstract
Often overlooked in critical discussions of British Literature produced in the early twentieth century, comic feminine middlebrow novels offer unique insights into the lives of middle-class women in the 1930s. The novels within this genre feature strong female characters negotiating issues of class and gender. However, comic feminine middlebrow novels also contain subtle conversations regarding the nature of reading and the importance of middlebrow texts in the lives of middle-class women. This thesis examines four such middlebrow novels: Miss Buncle’s Book by D. E. Stevenson, Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, Christmas Pudding by Nancy Mitford, and Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield. While each novel presents a unique perspective on middle-class life, all four reveal the powerful ability reading has to shape and change ordinary lives.
Advisor
Annette Sisson
Department
English, Department of
College
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, College of
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Level
Master's
Degree Grantor
Belmont University
Recommended Citation
Rambo, Amy, "The Power of Reading in the Comic Feminine Middlebrow Novel" (2022). English Theses. 7.
https://repository.belmont.edu/english_theses/7
