Drawing on critical frameworks, this study establishes the centrality of language, gender, and community in the quest for identity in contemporary American fiction. Close readings of novels by Alice Walker, Ernest Gaines, Ann Beattie, John Updike, Chang-rae Lee, and Rudolfo Anaya, among others, show how individuals find their American identities.
'Hurst's greatest contribution is the bridging of linguistic and literary perspectives in the study of language, gender and community. She effectively uses both approaches and renders a unique analysis that benefits not only readers interested in linguistics and literature but also those curious about new ways of studying gender and language. This makes the book interesting, useful and accessible to undergraduate, graduate and other scholarly communities interested in gender, language and literature.' Gender and Language