The Daughter's Dilemma

The Daughter's Dilemma: family process and the nineteenth-century domestic novel examines the structural links between family systems theory and domestic fiction. This scholarly work analyzes how the father-daughter dyad functions as a pivotal structure within the nuclear family and the domestic novel. By treating these entities as closed systems seeking closure, the text provides a critical perspective on English domestic fiction and feminist fiction.

Paula Marantz Cohen utilizes literary and feminist criticism, anthropology, and psychoanalysis to evaluate novels by Jane Austen, George Eliot, and Henry James. This study of daughters in literature and families in literature connects the authors' personal experiences to their narratives. The volume explores the shift from closed ideological systems to modern open interpretations, offering significant insights into the history and criticism of English fiction.