Wealthy South Carolinian Mary Boykin Chesnut provides an opportunity to examine from a practical standpoint theoretical assertions made by several historians recently regarding the reasons Southern women, particularly those of the planter class, turned to novels and other reading materials during the Civil War. In this case study, it appears that the model reader suggested by Cathy N. Davidson -- young, unmarried, middle or lower class, from New England -- does not fit Chesnut. However, models Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Drew Gilpin Faust do accurately describe Mary Boykin Chesnut and her reading habits. Fox-Genovese and Faust suggest that women turned to novels to help them understand their societies, their places within their societies and to help them prepare to cope with coming challenges.
Dr. Kittrell Rushing or Dr. David Sachsman 311 Frist Hall Communication Department The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403-2598 http://www.utc.edu/commdept/conference/
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