ONE OF THE GREAT NOVELS OF AMERICAN GIRLHOOD, JEAN WEBSTERS DADDY-LONG- LEGS(1912) FOLLOWS THE ADVENTURES OF AN ORPHAN NAMED JUDY ABBOTT, WHOSE LETTERS TO HER ANONYMOUS MALE BENEFACTOR TRACE HER DEVELOPMENT AS AN INDEPENDENT THINKER AND WRITER. ITS SEQUEL, DEAR ENEMY(1915), ALSO TOLD IN LETTERS, FOLLOWS THE PROGRESS OF JUDYS FORMER ORPHANAGE NOW RUN BY HER FRIEND SALLIE MCBRIDE, WHO STRUGGLES TO GIVE HER YOUNG CHARGES HOPE AND A NEW LIFE. FULL OF IRREPRESSIBLE FEMALE CHARACTERS THAT BOTH RECALL ALCOTTS JO MARCH AND ANTICIPATE THE POPULAR HEROINES OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE, WEBSTERS NOVELS ARE WITTY, HEARTFELT, AND DELIGHTFULLY MODERN.
INTRODUCTION VII SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING XIX A NOTE ON THE TEXTS XXI DADDY-LONG-LEGS 1 DEAR ENEMY 133 EXPLANATORY NOTES 349
