Literature Network » Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Catharine Beecher and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Architects of female power

Content courtesy of

From: Journal of American Culture
Date: 19980701
Author:Gill, Valerie

When we first compare the writings of Charlotte Perkins Gilman with those of her great-aunt, Catharine Beecher, we are likely to conclude that the two could not have had more disparate notions about the kind of lives American women should lead. Beecher, who by the age of thirty-five had founded and supervised two female academies (the Hartford Female Seminary and the Western Female Institute), achieved recognition when her book, A Treatise on Domestic Economy, appeared in 1841. She became known as the proponent of a domestic ideology in which men and women by definition occupy "separate ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Charlotte Perkins Gilman

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.