Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons^™

“I’M A Nurse, Not A Woman”: The Historical Significance Of The Uwm Nurse Romance Novel Collection, Katie Elisabeth Stollenwerk

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to promote future collection and preservation of popular culture resources at academic libraries by demonstrating the research potential and instructional value of a particular collection—the Nurse Romance Novel collection, held by the UWM Special Collections department. The study examines the history of American nursing and the history of romance fiction, raising questions about the role mass media and popular culture played in the professionalization of nursing and in the construction of dominant ideologies about gender roles in twentieth century America. This study treats romance novels as both consumer goods and as narratives, analyzing not only their literary …