9. Dorothy Canfield Fisher - The Home-Maker
The Home-Maker (Persephone Books)
In this episode, Amy and Kim discuss Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s The Home-Maker, one of the ten bestselling novels in the U.S. in 1924. Although not exactly a household name now, Canfield Fisher was right up there with Edith Wharton in her day. While The Home-Maker’s deep dive into child-rearing, women in the workplace, and gender roles was certainly eyebrow-raising at the time, Amy and Kim have plenty to say about the current relevance of these hot-button issues. Plus, they’ll take a look at Canfield Fisher’s very busy (and prolific!) life, and consider a lingering controversy regarding Canfield Fisher’s legacy.
Discussed in this episode:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Willa Cather and Dorothy Canfield Fisher
An Introduction by Dorothy Canfield for Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen
Keeping Fires Night and Day: Selected Letters of Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Norman Rockwell’s Portrait of Dorothy and John Canfield Fisher
“Vermont Considers Dumping Dorothy Canfield Fisher Over Ties to Eugenics Movement”
“Little House On The Controversy: Laura Ingalls Wilder's Name Removed From Book Award”