A Study of Political Power in the Ladies' Home Journal

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25370262
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Iwate University
• Principal Investigator: AKITA JUNKO 岩手大学, 人文社会科学部, 講師 (10251688)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: アメリカ文学 / アメリカ文化 / 女性文化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

After entering WWI, the content of the Ladies' Home Journal (LHJ) changed drastically. LHJ was famous for refraining from directly referring to political issues. However, LHJ took a leading role in encouraging its readers to be loyal Americans by insisting on the validity of the reasons for entering the war. Emphasizing the importance of the spirit of patriotism and thrifty living, the entire issued inspired readers to support their nation during the war and other critical phases. LHJ mainly carried two types of literary works. One type is the so-called "propaganda novel." The other type featured romantic plots. I have focused on the role of serial novels with subjects that appear to be unrelated to WWI. I contend that female writers successfully protested against U. S. political measures to face the wartime conditions. Such novels show that some female writers resisted submitting their narratives to the national intention to manipulate LHJ during WWI.

Free Research Field

アメリカ文学