Research Paper on:
Gertrude Stein and the Advancement of Women

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
public wearing dresses. She could hold her own against any man, whether it was in a drinking contest or an intellectual debate. During her lifetime, Gertrude Stein appeared  to be the antithesis of the feminine stereotype; for her, gender boundaries and the restrictions they imposed simply did not exist. She dedicated her life and her literary art  to ensuring they wouldnt exist for all women. By setting off on her own radical and highly individualistic course, Gertrude Stein ultimately charted a path that would lead to  the advancement of women in a patriarchy that had historically oppressed them. Gertrude Stein was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania in 1874, but spent most of her childhood and adolescence globetrotting  throughout Europe. Unlike most of her feminine contemporaries whose life goals consisted of marriage and children, Stein concentrated on academics and had considered embarking on a medical career and  actually studied under famed American psychologist and social philosopher William James. However, she discovered her true calling as a writer for it was one of the few professions that  enabled her to freely express herself while exploring alternative ideas and philosophies at the same time. Although Stein enjoyed the company of men, she was sexually attracted to women  and made no attempt to hide her lesbianism, much to the shock of her Victorian contemporaries. Steins controversial approach to life and love served to emphasize the right of  the individual to choose instead of allowing the rules and regulations of society dictate behavior. She discovered that she and her editor and partner, Alice B. Toklas, could embrace  nonconformity with greater abandon in Europe than they could in the socially conservative United States. Therefore, after World War I, Stein and Toklas like their male literary counterparts Ernest