Mom: The Transformation of Motherhood in Modern America PDF
Preview Mom: The Transformation of Motherhood in Modern America
Mom Mom The Transformation of Motherhood in Modern America rebecca jo plant The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London Rebecca Jo Plant is associate professor of history at the University of California, San Diego. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London © 2010 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 2010 Printed in the United States of America 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5 isbn-13: 978-0-226-67020-1 isbn-10: 0-226-67020-1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Plant, Rebecca Jo, 1968– Mom : the transformation of motherhood in modern America / Rebecca Jo Plant. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-0-226-67020-1 (cloth : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-226-67020-1 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. 307.76—United States. 2. Mother- hood in popular culture—United States. 3. Wylie, Philip, 1902–1971—Criticism and interpretation. 4. Friedan, Betty—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. HQ759 .P564 2010 306.874'3—dc22 2009035339 a The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1992. To my parents, Allene Wenger Plant and Billy D. Plant Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 Debunking the All-American Mom: Philip Wylie’s Momism Critique 19 2 Mothers of the Nation: Patriotic Maternalism and Its Critics 55 3 Pathologizing Mother Love: Mental Health and Maternal Affectivity 86 4 Banishing the Suffering Mother: The Quest for Painless Childbirth 118 5 Mother-Blaming and The Feminine Mystique : Betty Friedan and Her Readers 146 Notes 179 Index 241 Acknowledgments To come full circle, I want to thank two extraordinary teachers, Norman Dawson and Vicki Arndt-Helgesen, who first taught me how to think histori- cally. My professors at Macalester College—Emily and Norman Rosenberg, Betsy Schmidt, James B. Stewart, and Peter Rachleff—encouraged my earliest attempts at historical scholarship and served as much admired role models. Without their example and support, I would never have embarked on my present course. The History Department at the Johns Hopkins University funded my graduate studies and allowed me to work with some truly exceptional schol- ars. I am deeply grateful to Ruth Leys of the Humanities Center, who gen- erously shared her vast knowledge of the history of psychiatry and psycho- analysis, and to Ronald Walters, who enriched my thinking about popular culture and served as mentor throughout my time at Hopkins. I especially want to thank my advisor, Dorothy Ross, on whose sage council I have con- tinued to rely. My debts to her are simply immeasurable. Friends and relatives sustained me throughout my lean graduate school years. My cousin Loree Schuster, her husband Stanley Todd, and their sons Jacob and Dustin welcomed me into their home in Philadelphia on numer- ous occasions. Michael Garral cheered me on and repeatedly restored my spirits. Dirk Bönker, Paul A. Kramer, Lynn Gorchov, Jeffrey Mullins, Bryan Callahan, Stefan Kühl, Stefan Ludwig-Hoffmann, and Till van Rahden all of- fered astute suggestions on early drafts. The members of my cherished writ- ing group—Thomas Foster, Carolyn Eastman, and Frances Clarke—pro- vided invaluable suggestions and encouragement. And thanks, too, to John Tambornino, who remained confident in my academic future even when the situation looked bleak.
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