The Feminine "no!": Psychoanalysis and the New Canon

Exploring the dynamics of literary canon changes, the book employs psychoanalytic theory to reveal how rediscovering forgotten works is linked to societal trauma. Todd McGowan highlights the significance of these literary recoveries in challenging existing ideologies and fostering radical social change. Focusing on key American texts by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Kate Chopin, Charles Chesnutt, and Zora Neale Hurston, the work argues that trauma plays a crucial role in reshaping both the canon and cultural discourse.