The Woman Question served as a catalyst in Kate Chopins, Nella Larsens, and Willa Cathers portrayal of the eroticized female body. The question evolved, in part, from Herbert Spencers 1873 article "Psychology of the Sexes" and centered around Spencers "theories" on womans nature, her function, and her differences-biological, sexological, and sociological-from man. Chapter one historicizes the Woman Question by examining its influence in these three areas. Chapters two, three, and four analyze one novel by each author. Chopins The Awakening introduces the literary study because it operates as...