American Domesticity in Selected Novels by Richard Yates and Maureen Howard

Abstract

American domesticity in the second half of the twentieth century witnessed many changes. This is reflected in the family fiction of both Richard Yates (1926 – 1992) and his contemporary Maureen Howard (1930 - ). This dissertation has answered several questions: first, to what extent does family fiction document social, economic, and cultural conditions especially in post-WWII America? Second, whether the genre of autobiography adds credibility to the authors' novels or limits their scope? Third, how differently do these American authors tackle feminist domestic issues like women's work, marriage, and abortion? Fourth, what are the narrative techniques employed by each novelist to depict the American domestic milieu of their age? Finally, are the domestic dilemmas investigated in the novels of Yates and Howard restricted to the American society or are they universal? In each chapter, a certain domesticity-related theme (marriage in the first chapter, singlehood in the second, and problems of single parents in the third) is tackled in two novels by Yates and Howard. All in all, three novels by each author are selected, namely, Yates's Revolutionary Road (1961), The Easter Parade (1976) and Cold Spring Harbor (1986) compared with Howard's Expensive Habits (1986), Bridgeport Bus (1965) and A Lover's Almanac (1998).