This provocative feminist critique addresses the subversive rhetoric of four diverse women writers. Acknowledging that reticence is often enforced by patriarchal silencing of women, Stout argues that each author turned that traditional limitation into a weapon of mockery or assault against masculine society, examining the unspoken in the works of Austen, Cather, Porter, and Didion. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)