Deborah Norris Logan, Feminist Criticism, and Identity Theory: Interpreting A Woman's Diary Without The Danger of Separatism

Abstract

Feminist scholars are devoting much attention to unearthing women's diaries and letters. As they develop new theories to interpret these noncanonical works, feminists should not dismiss other theories generated by the male critical establishment. To provide one link between new feminist scholarship and existing male-generated theory, this essay explains why it is fruitful to illuminate a woman's diary—the diary of Deborah Norris Logan (1761-1839)—in terms of Norman N. Holland's notions about identity theory.