Table Of ContentIntimac(cid:1)
&
Coeditors EditorialAdvisoryBoard
ThadiousM.Davis NancyCott
LindaK.Kerber CathyN.Davidson
JaneSherronDeHart
SaraEvans
MaryKelley
AnnetteKolodny
WendyMartin
NellIrvinPainter
JaniceRadway
BarbaraSicherman
Intimac(cid:1)
, ,
Rache(cid:2) Dev(cid:2)in
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Devlin,Rachel.
Relativeintimacy:fathers,adolescentdaughters,and
postwarAmericanculture/RachelDevlin.
p.cm.—(GenderandAmericanculture)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
---(cloth:alk.paper)—
---(pbk.:alk.paper)
.Teenagegirls—Familyrelationships. .Fathersand
daughters. .Fathersanddaughtersinliterature.
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Acknowledgments vii
Introduction
TheOedipalAge:
PostwarPsychoanalysisReinterpretsthe
AdolescentGirl
DelinquentGirlsandtheCrisisof
PaternalAuthorityinthePostwarUnitedStates
AdolescentAuthorities:
TeenageGirls,Consumerism,andtheCultural
TransformationofFatherhood
Coming-of-Age:
APaternalRiteofPassage,–
Affection,Identification,Skepticism:
SituatingMeninRelationtoAdolescentDaughters
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
ALifemagazinephotograph
AParents’Magazinephotograph
PublicitystillfromJuniorMiss(play),
IllustrationfromLifewithTeena,
IllustrationfromFatheroftheBride,
Illustrationfrom‘‘Mr.Banks’OtherDaughter,’’
GoodHousekeeping,
CoverofthebookJuniorMiss,
AadvertisementforChanelperfumefrom
Seventeenmagazine
CoverofaissueofEbonymagazine
CoverofaissueofJetmagazine
PublicitystillfromKissandTell(play),
AdvertisementforKissandTell(film),
PhotographsofF.HughHerbertfromtheNewYorkPost,
Weallwritewithanaudienceinmind,andthisprojectbene-
fitedenormouslyinitsearlystagesfromthefactthatNancyF.Cottand
Jean-ChristopheAgnewweremine.NancyF.Cottadvisedthedisserta-
tiononwhichthisbookisbasedatYaleUniversity.Herquickeyeand
succinctquestionsgalvanizedbothresearchandargument,whileher
ownscholarshiphasbeenaconstantsourceofinspiration.Theidea
fortheprojectgrewoutofapaperforJean-ChristopheAgnew’smemo-
rableseminartitled‘‘TheAmericanCentury.’’Hisapproachtocultural
historyanimatesmythinkingthroughoutthebook;hisintellectual
generosityandenthusiasmhelpedmeseeitthroughtocompletion.
SupportfromtheMrs.GilesWhitingFoundationandaMellonFel-
lowshipforResearchallowedmetocompleteresearchonthedisser-
tationonwhichthisbookisbased.GrantsfromtheSexualityResearch
ProgramoftheSocialScienceResearchCouncil,theLarryHackman
ResearchProgramoftheNewYorkStateArchives,andtheTulaneUni-
versityCommitteeonResearch,allowedmetodoadditionalresearch
andtotaketimeofftofinishthewriting.
Muchoftheresearchforthisbookwasconductedatvariousarms
oftheNewYorkPublicLibrary,includingtheSchomburgCenterfor
Research on Black Culture; the Science, Industry, and Business Li-
brary;andtheLibraryforthePerformingArts.ArchivistsattheBilly
RoseTheatreCollectionhelpedmewendmywaythroughmidcentury
drama—afieldthat,withoutthiscollection,mightnothavemadeit
intomyhistoricalimagination.JimHoltsattheNewYorkStateAr-
chivesinAlbanydidagreatdealtohelp,evenwhensearchesproved
frustrating.
Two Medievalists, Bonnie Wheeler and Caroline Walker Bynum,
wereearlymodelsofintellectualreachandprecision;bothgaveme
much-needed encouragement early on. Robert Griswold answered
questions at the beginning of this project and generously shared
sources.ReginaKunzelhelpedmesituatesomeofmythinkingasI
setouttoturnthedissertationintoabook.JeannieRheehelpedme
thinkthroughlegalhistoryandSherrieInnesspromptedmetomake
itmorereadable.
CatherineStimpsonreadtheentiremanuscriptandposedimpor-
tantquestionsatacriticaljuncture.AtatimewhenIneededanaudi-
ence, Martha Hodes arranged for me to give a presentation at the
ProgramintheHistoryofWomenandGenderatNewYorkUniver-
sity.JamesBoydenandLindaPollockgenerouslyreadchapterswhen
Iaskedthemtoandofferedusefulsuggestions.
This book rests on the shoulders of those who transformed the
historyofyouthandtheirdoingsintotherecognizedandrichlyre-
searched topic that it is today. I very much appreciate that Paula S.
FassandBethL.Bailey,twosuchpioneers,readandcommentedex-
tensivelyonalatedraftofthemanuscript.
InNewOrleans,thefriendshipofLarryPowell,LauraWatts,Rich-
ardWatts,AlisaPlant,KateHaulman,NatalieRing,DanielHurewitz,
Peggy Simon, Randy Sparks, and Justin Wolfe has helped see me
throughtheday-to-dayworkofteachingandwriting.SylviaFreyhas
been a steadfast intellectual ally, and the simple knowledge of her
presencewasoftenreassuring.BethWillinger,attheCenterforRe-
search on Women, and Cynthia Lowenthal, dean of Newcomb Col-
lege,havehelpedmakethiscityahospitablehomeforthinkingabout
women and gender. I have counted on Pamela Smith and Donna
Deneenfortheirhelpwiththeoffice-basedworkofwritingandtravel.
In New York, Kio Stark read various chapters and offered help-
fuladvice.SabrinaBanesandTeneaJohnsonassistedwiththeoften
drearybusinessoftrackingdownsourcesonmicrofilm.JoshuaBeck-
manhelpedwiththearcanaofphotoediting.
Genuine thanks to my editor at the University of North Carolina
Press,SianHunter,forgivingmethe‘‘rigorousreviewprocess’’she
promised and for her thoughtful advice. Thanks also to Mary Cavi-
ness,DavidHines,andallattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaPress
whohavehelpedwiththeproductionofthisbook.
I thank Debby Applegate, Elizabeth Barnes, Virginia Blaisedale,
PamelaHaag,AmyKesselman,TripMcCrossin,andSusieSteinbach
for their friendship and provocative conversation during the years
spentonthedissertationandafter.IamgratefultoCynthiaGooen
Lesser and Deborah Rieders more than they know for making me
laughsomuchforsomanyyearsandfortheirpatiencewiththisbook.
viii
BernardDevlinlookedupcitationsformeatthepubliclibrarywhen
IcouldnotbeinNewYork,andJamesE.Devlinhelpedonthefinan-
cialend.IamindebtedtoTonyLacavaroforvariousliterarytips.
ThefriendshipofRosanneMarionAdderleyhasbeenamostun-
expectedgift,andithassustainedmeduringthetimeithastakento
finishthisproject.AthenaDevlinhasreadeverypageofthebooksev-
eraltimesover;herinsighthasbeeninvaluable.Idonotknowhow
tothankherenough.Aroomofone’sownisonething,butintheage
ofDr.Searsitisquiteanothertogiveoneselfpermissiontogothere.
IamdeeplygratefultoStephenSollinsforhisendlessconversations
onallsidesofthisquestion,hisgeneroushelp,andhisunwavering
faithinthisproject.ThankstoJonahSollinsDevlinformakinglife
outsideofthatroomsorich,interesting,musical.
ix
Description:Celebrated as new consumers and condemned for their growing delinquencies, teenage girls emerged as one of the most visible segments of American society during and after World War II. Contrary to the generally accepted view that teenagers grew more alienated from adults during this period, Rachel De
