Sarah Orne Jewett "The Country of the Pointed Firs"

Sarah Orne Jewett’s novel, The Country of the Pointed First, has been a different experience for me. I do not see it as a novel, but rather a series of sketches of many different adventures. The fact that each chapter differentiates itself in the protagonists and adventures encountered is something I learned to appreciate as I read this “sketch”. To me, a novel is a book written about/for a particular purpose, from the beginning to the end. Jewett’s book tells the story of the effects of isolation and hardship experienced by the occupants of the decaying fishing villages along the Maine coast, but at the same it provides the reader with many different chapters which bring us on a new expedition each time we flip the page.
Jewett’s book gave me a new outlook on American literature. Her essays represent a great example of Feminist Literary Theory and American studies. The themes she wanted her reader to pick up while reading this book are very tastefully written. They are done in ways which lead me to believe that a high school senior, who prepares himself/herself for college, would learn a great deal from this book. Considering that Jewett picks up on many topics, such as isolation, and she portrays the study of American culture, this book will be on my top list as I become a teacher myself.
I believe that Jewett holds many goals of feminist criticism in this book, such as “developing and uncovering a female tradition of writing, interpreting symbolism of women's writing so that it will not be lost or ignored by the male point of view, and resisting sexism in literature” (Wikipedia). She teaches through a series of characters whom we meet as we go from one chapter to the next. Jewett has become a much liked writer by me and I look forward to studying this book in depth as I hopefully teach it one day to my students.