Edith Eaton's autobiographical essay and her stories, of which "In the Land of the Free" is an example, show what it was to be a Chinese woman in the white man's world. ... Many authors and literary critics saw connections between literary content and social influence. For example, in "Criticism and Fiction" (1891), William Dean Howells, a advocate of nineteenth-century American realism, warns readers to avoid sentimental or sensational novels, which he claims "hurt" by presenting "idle lies about human nature and the social fabric." ... In an essay entitled "The Chinese in America,"...

• Word Count: 2633
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate