Gertrude Stein and the Essence of What Happens

Through a series of close readings, Dana Cairns Watson argues convincingly for the centrality of conversation in Gertrude Stein's work. More importantly, Watson places Stein's interest in and use of conversation in the context of intellectual and literary history and concludes that Stein models, advocates, and potentially instigates a political and social reshaping of American character and thought. Thus, Watson's book is a timely corrective to claims that Stein was at best an apolitical naif and at worst a fascist sympathizer. - Jane P. Bowers, Ph.D. Director of Academic Affairs CUNY Honors College: University Scholars Program