End of life debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

End of life debate - Essay Example Various studies (Lee et al, 2010; Petri and Lazaro, 2009; Edworthy, 2005; and Ticaniet. Al, 2006) suggest that signs and symptoms commonly identified were butterfly rash over cheeks, photosensitivity, erythematous rash to areas exposed to sun, fatigue, malaise, early bruising, sudden weight gain or loss, hair loss, Raynaud’s phenomenon, joint pain and swelling, ulcers of the mouth and nose, plueritis, pericarditis, low grade fever, diarrhea and nausea and vomiting, hence identified as having multisystem effects. By this, SLE is considered to be one of the most serious rheumatic diseases however; the cause of death may not be directly attributed to the condition but to one or another of its many complications especially for severe cases (â€Å"Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Prognosis†, undated). ... On this paper I will try to discuss and justify my position to support the continuity of life of patients with SLE, looking into the various aspects of medical care as well as the ethical, social, and financial considerations that should be taken relative to the patient’s medical care. A hypothetical scenario on the case of a 38 year- old woman was also presented earlier. The woman complains of fatigue, weight loss, oral ulcers, and malar rash around her cheeks, some hair loss for the past month and a bilateral color changes in her extremities which is induced by stress or variants in temperature. She was also seen in the emergency room two (2) weeks ago complaining of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash on her legs which was attributed to her travel to Brazil three (3) week ago, after the diagnosis the symptoms have resolved. Currently, she is not on any prescriptions or over the counter medications. Her past history is consistent of appendectomy at the age of 16 years and three (3) caesarian deliveries. Her family history is positive for hyperthyroidism in her mother and HTN in her father. Based on this scenario, the expected prognostic outcome of this patient is that she has a Widespread SLE. This chronic, lifelong disease was evident in her diagnosis and in the signs and symptoms she is experiencing. The disease may have started at her digestive system given by the various digestive related signs that she indicated during her medical consultation. She is already experiencing symptom relapses or flares from time to time but she can still do her normal activities 90% of the time as she was able to work and travel. Tests

Gender Based Conflict Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Gender Based Conflict Management - Essay Example In his research, Valentine identified and analyzed five conflict resolution strategies that were used by nurses at their workplace. The five strategies included avoiding, compromising, competing, collaborating and accommodating. From her analysis, she realized that gender may influence the extent by which nurses choose their conflict management strategies. From the perspective of gender, women are perceived to be more concerned about interpersonal aspects of the relationship than it is to men. In this effort, female nurses are seen to view conflict management as a way they use while seeking confirmation and support in their effort to maintaining harmony. The results found out that male nurses resorted to using competing method of conflict resolution. This conflict resolution strategy at workplace is associated with the application of power by the competing nurses. This is as a result of the perceived differences in power between male and female genders and lack of self-confidence in the male nurses. Male nurses, unlike female nurses, fail to realize that differences in opinions can be used as opportunities to learn and solve their differences. In another study carried out by Friedman, Shu-Cheng, and Liu on "An expectancy model of Chinese-American differences in conflict-avoiding," the authors put it clear that Chinese have higher tendencies to avoid conflicts than Americans (Friedman, et al., 2006). The results of this expectancy model found out that Chinese use avoiding strategy of conflict control due to various reasons alienated to them, which cannot be applied by the Americans. Chinese realize that direct conflicts are capable of hurting their relationships with the other party. They have greater concern for the other parties. Therefore, they tend to apply the avoiding strategy to uphold this fact. Chinese are also regarded as a people who show great respect and sensitivity to hierarchy. Because of this, any

Obesity Strategies in the US

Obesity Strategies in the US Abstract The meaning of obesity is having too much body fat. It is a difference in being overweight and weighing too much. In some cases, genetics seem responsible; in others, various combinations of hormonal, metabolic, and behavioral factors appear to play a role. But in most cases, its hard to determine the exact cause of obesity. It mainly occurs when a person takes in over the amount of calories that he or she is currently burning. A person’s weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and even body water. These terms both mean that a persons weight is greater than what is considered healthy for a person’s height. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases. The rates of being overweight in the United States have had a drastically increased since the 1970s. About two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. It is very difficult enough for a doctor to figure out why an individual patient has accumulated excess body fat. Obesity among adults was defined as a BMI of 3 0 or higher; extreme obesity was defined as a BMI of 40 or higher. In this paper we will learn about obesity, from what it is, the meaning and calculations of BMI, the history of this American disease, why it still affects Americans, and discuss what can be done to possibly control this epidemic. Obesity in the United States today has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically (Hill and Wyatt et al.). According to researchers at RTI International, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention a study was conducted between 1998 and 2006 on the cost of obesity. One third of our adult population has become overweight. America is the richest but also the fattest nation in the world and our obesebacksides are the butt of jokes in every other country (Klein 28). Obesity is especially common in African Americans, some Hispanic populations, and Native Americans. Obesity is most common in women, and overweight is more common in men. The difference between obesity and overweight is that the term overweight refers to body weight that is at least 10 percent over the recommended weight for a certain individual. Obesity is generally defined as an excessive amount of body fat in relation to lean body mass. In numeric terms, obesity refers to a body weight that is at least 30 percent over the ideal weight for a specified height. Obesity was first recognized as a medical disorder by Greeks. In the Middle Ages and also Renaissance periods obesity was a common sign of wealth for the people. Throughout the 20th century when the populations in America reached their genetic potential for height, weight began increasing much more than height, resulting in obesity. In the 1950s increasing wealth in the developed world decreased child mortality, but as body weight increased heart and kidney disease became more common. Weight is viewed as an ideal issue has become lower since the 1920s. Obesity is still seen as a sign of wealth and well-being in Africa. Weight gain and obesity are caused by consuming more calories than the body needs – most commonly by eating a diet high in fat and calories, living a sedentary lifestyle, or both. The imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned can also be caused by a number of different physiological factors, including genetic and hormonal problems related to deficiencies in internal body functions. Obesity can begin at a very young age. Many children in our society are overweight, setting themselves up for serious health problems later in life. Type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart problems are just some of the risks. Children who are overweight also tend to feel less secure, less happy, and be stressed more than normal weight children do. They get teased, criticized, and judged. In many cases, the problem is not the child’s fault. Being overweight may run in that child’s family, or their parents do not encourage them tobe active and get enough exercise. Many children spend too much time indoors wasting away in front of the TV, playing video games, or spending time on the computer, and consuming high fat snacks, soft drinks and candy at the same time (Weight Management) More than half of all US adults are considered overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity-related comorbidities emphasizes the need for concerted efforts to prevent and treat obesity rather than just its associated comorbidities. Figures in this Article Recent estimates suggest that 1 in 2 adults in the United States is overweight or obese, defined by a body mass index (BMI) of higher than 25, an increase of more than 25% over the past 3 decades. These dramatic increases have occurred among the 3 major racial and ethnic groups and include both sexes (Must, Spadano, Coakley, Field, Colditz Dietz). BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. With being overweight their may come illnesses/diseases like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, Metabolic Syndrome, dyslipidemia, and Thyroid Conditions. Obesity is connected with diabetes because carrying extra body weight and body fat go hand and hand with the development of type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight are at much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than normal weight individuals. Being overweight puts added pressure on the bodys ability to properly control blood sugar using insulin and therefore makes it much more likely for you to develop diabetes. Almost 90% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. The number of diabetes cases among American adults jumped by a third during the 1990s, and more increases are expected. This rapid increase in diabetes is due to the growing prevalence of obesity and extra weight in the United States population (Must, Spadano, Coakley, Field, Colditz Dietz). Heart disease is an increasing illness in adults that are obese and overweight, which causes the victim to fall into a heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, and abnormal heart rhythm more often than those that maintain a healthy body mass index. Obesity can often raise the risk of heart disease because of its negative effect on blood lipid levels, something which increases in obese patients, and increase triglyceridelevels and decrease high-density lipoprotein, also known as HDL or â€Å"good cholesterol.† Obesity continues to be one of Americas most mentioned topics in the media today. The cause of this is because Americans eat out entirely too often. We do not make the right menu choices, and most importantly we are not active enough to compensate for the intake of high calorie foods consumed every day (Jay Sorensen). Even though obesity is currently rising in America there are ways to control it because obesity in some cases is heredity. You can usually lose weight through dietary changes, increased physical activity and behavior changes. In some cases, prescription medications or weight-loss surgery may be options. Exercise is more useful to burn fat as it speeds up metabolism. Exercise in any form like walking, swimming, cycling, playing football ,workout with machines or yoga just for 30-35 minutes per day will not only helpful to control weight but also reduces risk of serious cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, arthritis etc. Some people go dieting or on very strict diet regime to control obesity but that is not safe solution because after some days the person get bored and dont want to be on control regime . Maintain regular meal times and have balanced meals. Uncontrolled eating habits also contribute to weight gain. Unhealthy diets and physical inactivity are among some of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. 2.7 million deaths are attributable to diets low in fruits and vegetables. With today’s technology, physical activity is not very hard to get access to. You have different systems this like Nintendo Wii, Kinect for Xbox 360, PlayStation Move for PS3, Video games are often the source of hours of fun not just for little kids but for big kids as well. The big problem is the strong correlation of sitting for long periods and the development of obesity. (Video Games And Obesity, n.d.). Many different studies have to children and young adults to prove that movement has been the result in weight lose. According to a study done by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition which was to evaluate the effect of active video games over a 6 month period on weight, body composition, physical activity, and physical fitness. A total of 322 overweight and obese children aged 10–14 year old, who were current users of video games, were randomly assigned to receive either an active video game upgrade package or to have no change. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in body mass index. Secondary outcomes were changes in percentage body fat, physical activity, cardio respiratory fitness, video game play, and food snacking. The result was that after 24 weeks, the treatment effect on BMI favored the intervention group. The change in BMI from baseline increased in the control group, but remained the same in the intervention group. There was also evidence of a reduction in body fat in the intervention group. The change in daily time spent playing active video games at 24 weeks in creased with the intervention accompanied by a reduction in the change in daily time spent playing non-active video games. An active video game intervention has a small but definite effect on BMI and body composition in overweight and obese children (Maddison, Foley, Mhurchu, Jiang, Jull, Prapavessis, Hohepa Rodgers). The National institutes of Health states video games have become increasingly popular among young adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if interactive video games, requiring physical activity to play, increase the energy expenditure (EE) and heart rate (HR) of young adults enough to elicit a training response (Siegel Shannon). Thirteen male and female participants were in the study. Participants were familiarized with equipment and allowed to practice with three games, moving and striking lighted pads, riding a bike to increase the pace of a race car, and boxing against a video simulated opponent. A portable metabolic cart and HR monitor were attached to participants to measure baseline and exercise values. Participants could play any of the three games for 30 minutes while metabolic and HR data were collected. Exercise data were compared to baseline measures, and the 3 games were compared for EE. Paired sample t-tests showed baseline and exercise values differed for HR. The boxing game provided the highest. Participants achieved 60% or better of their HR reserve well within the guidelines for training HR. Caloric expenditure during the 30-minute exercise session is also within the recommendations for daily physical activity. Thus, interactive video games that require physical activity to play can be utilized as part of an overall aerobic exercise program (Siegel Shannon). The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) is a nearly 50,000 member-strong 501(c)(3) National non-profit organization dedicated to giving a voice to the individual affected by the disease of obesity and helping individuals along their journey toward better health through education, advocacy and support. The Obesity Society is the leading scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity. Since 1982, The Obesity Society has been committed to encouraging research on the causes and treatment of obesity, and to keeping the medical community and public informed of new advances ( Dea). The Obesity Societys membership reaches more than 2,000 basic and clinical researchers, who have published extensively, and care providers in obesity treatment and prevention ( Dea). Shape Up America! Is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on healthy weight management? . Reference Hill, J. O., Wyatt, H. R., Reed, G. W., Peters, J. C. (2003). Obesity and the environment: where do we go from here? Science, 299(5608), 853-855. Obesity Costs U.S. About $147 Billion Annually, Study Finds. (n.d.). RTI International: Obesity Costs U S About 147 Billion Annually Study Finds. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.rti.org/newsroom/news.cfm Understanding Obesity. (n.d.). Obesity In America. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from http://obesityinamerica.org/understanding-obesity/ Must, A., Spadano, J., Coakley, E. H., Field, A. E., Colditz, G., Dietz, W. H. (1999). The disease burden associated with overweight and obesity. JAMA: the journal of the American Medical Association, 282(16), 1523-1529. Ravussin, PhD, Eric , and Donna Ryan, MD. Your Weight and Obesity . Obesity Society . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. . Obesity and Heart Disease. Obesity and Heart Disease. N.P., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2014. Sorensen, J. (2014, January 3). Obesity In America. Obesity In America. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from http://www.foodandnutrition.net/nutrition/obesity Body Mass Index. (2013, December 6). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing Helpful tips to control obesity. (n.d.). Helpful tips to control obesity. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://netties.net/control.htm Video Games And ObesityAddiction or Entertainment. (n.d.). Video Games And Obesity. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.helpcurechildobesity.com/video-games-and-obesity.html Maddison, R., Foley, L., Mhurchu, C. N. (2010, November 25). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Effects of active video games on body composition: a randomized controlled trial. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/94/1/156.short Siegel, S. R., Haddock, B. L., Dubois, A. M., Wilkin, L. D. (2009). Active video/arcade games (exergaming) and energy expenditure in college students. International journal of exercise science, 2(3), 165. Obesity. (n.d.). Obesity. Retrieved April 14, 2014, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/123702-overview

The Importance of the Requiem in Death of a Salesman Essay -- Death Sa

The Importance of the Requiem in Death of a Salesman   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the play, Death of a Salesman, the final chapter is titled "Requiem" instead of "Epilogue".  Ã‚   The definition of Requiem in' The concise Oxford dictionary' is a special Mass for repose of souls of the dead'. The Requiem serves as a tribute to Willy Loman. Sympathy is evoked and reasons for his behavior are given. Charley gives the central speech-' Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman has got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory.' Any blame or anger at Willy is counteracted. It echoes Linda earlier in the play' But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid.' It is made absolutely certain that Willy is sympathized with rather than cursed. Though Biff criticizes Willy and argues with him, he still respects him and is compassionate-'A fine, troubled prince. A hard-working, unappreciated prince'.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dramatic car crash at the end of the previous scene would be a violent ending, and would leave us with many questions. Before he kills himself it looks like things are on their way to getting better, as if Willy realizes the importance of himself in the family. We can see that Willy is killing himself to help Biff-' Can you imagine that magnificence with twenty thousand dollars in his pocket?'. Its ironic that Willy commits suicide to further Biff's career when it serves to finish it, but it convinces Happy, the son who was always second best, to carry on like his father. We know that Biff has no need for the money, as the things he appreciates in life are free. He thinks that his family will be thankful-' Ben, he'll worship me for it!' when we know they won't. Without the Requiem we wouldn't know how th... ...ma. 36 (1993): 443-453. Eisinger, Chester E. "Focus on Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman': The Wrong Dreams," in American Dreams, American Nightmares, (1970 rpt In clc. Detroit: Gale Research. 1976 vol. 6:331 Florio, Thomas A., ed. â€Å"Miller’s Tales.† The New Yorker.   70 (1994): 35-36. Foster, Richard J. (Confusion and Tragedy: The Failure of Miller's 'Salesman' (1959) rpt in clc. Detroit: Gale Research. 1983 vol. 26:316 Gardner, R. H. ("Tragedy of the Lowest Man," in his Splintered Stage: (1965) rpt in clc. Detroit: Gale Research. 1983 vol. 2l6:320 Hayashi, Tetsumaro.   Arthur Miller Criticism.   Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1969. Martin, Robert A., ed. Arthur Miller.   Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Miller, Arthur.   Death of a Salesman.   New York: Viking, 1965. ---.   Eight Plays.   New York:   Nelson Doubleday, 1981.

Difference of hero and saint

The hero vs.. Saint is something I initially thought I could differentiate easily. I Initially believed it to be either a person who lives life to the fullest day to day without any thought of what happens after death which would be the hero, or someone who lives life by a certain set of standards and sacrifices certain things for the sole purpose of something promised after death. After listening to Professor Ambrosia's lectures and some discussion I have found that I wasn't exactly correct In my Minimal hinging and that it isn't exactly what I thought.Initially my thought on the hero was that they would be a selfish person Just living for themselves and their own glory. I have found that this Is not true at all. While the glory part I believe Is somewhat true It Is not for selfish reasons but for a sense of accomplishment. Yes a hero does things for glory, however It Is for reasons which better the world around them. They also do things because it is the logical and fair thing to d o. In other words the hero uses his head and not so much his heart when dealing with issues.I believed at first that to be a saint must mean someone who is very religious. Have found that is also an incorrect thought. I was thinking too literally about the word saint and let my own religious beliefs cloud my thought process and gave me tunnel vision. While someone who is very religious probably does lean toward the saint view it does not mean someone who is not very religious cannot also lean towards the saint view on life. A saint is someone with a huge heart and uses it along with compassion and love to make decisions and lead them through life.I believe most of us live somewhere in between saints and heroes. I do not believe that someone has to choose one side over the other and I believe that in most cases it is better to live somewhere in between. However I do feel that on certain occasions we must choose between them and either make a decision based on fact even though it may not be the most compassionate answer or make a decision which even Hough isn't the smartest is the kindest and most heartfelt.Sometimes there Is no in between answer and the answer does Ill completely on one side or the other which forces us to the hero or saint. BY entreaty initially believed it to be either a person who lives life to the fullest day to day without purpose of something promised after death. After listening to Professor Ambrosia's lectures and some discussion I have found that I wasn't exactly correct in my initial Initially my thought on the hero was that they would be a selfish person Just living or themselves and their own glory.I have found that this is not true at all. While the glory part I believe is somewhat true it is not for selfish reasons but for a sense of accomplishment. Yes a hero does things for glory, however it is for reasons which I believed at first that to be a saint must mean someone who is very religious. I though isn't the smartest is the kin dest and most heartfelt. Sometimes there is no in between answer and the answer does lie completely on one side or the other which

Oscar Wilde’s Essay

The following essay will examine British Literature in two fold: the first being that of Oscar Wilde’s contribution to British Literature and the second being feminism in British Literature in the 1800’s and on. It is hoped that focusing on two separate but entangled subjects will make the paper more accessible and therefore broader in scope and understanding of the reader to British Literature. Peacocks and Sunflowers:Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"Immoral Aestheticism† as an Escape from Reality into the Realm of Beauty Gilbert, the author’s alter ego in Oscar Wilde’s essay â€Å"The Critic as Artist† (originally published in 1888) declared that â€Å"[a]ll art is immoral† (274), and that phrase turned into a manifesto for the â€Å"immoral aestheticism† doctrine of the famous dandy who decorated rooms with peacock feathers and showed in public with a sunflower in the buttonhole. The writer was condemned by contemporaries as a breacher of Victorian ‘moral’ style of living but justified by successors. As Ellmann explains, â€Å"[s]in is more useful to society than martyrdom, since it is self-expressive not self-repressive† and thus contributes more significantly to the acute goal of â€Å"the liberation of the personality† (Ellmann 310). The man who used to be convicted of the offence of â€Å"gross indecency† is praised now as an icon of decadent and modernist style, a revolutionary in aesthetics and ethics, and a prophet of beauty which is above and outside any boundaries. The concept of art and beauty as abstract notions being unrelated to the narrowly dichotomous morals takes a key position in Wilde’s oeuvre. Today’s critics are never tired in their coining of appropriate definitions for the writer’s aesthetic programme. Gillespie, one of the most important researchers of Wilde’s legacy, viewed it as consisting of â€Å"paradoxical gestures† which â€Å"delineate an aesthetic that celebrates the impulse to integrate, amalgamate, and conjoin rather than separate, dissipate, or disperse† (37). Although the writer was aware of â€Å"the grave spiritual dangers involved in a life of immoral action and experiment† (Pearce 164), he underlined the right of an artist to be immoral for the sake of eternal beauty. In his aestheticism, Wilde was an admirer and disciple of essayist and art critic Walter Horatio Pater with the latter’s emphasis on the esthete as a novel kind of being (Murphy 1992; Wood 2002). He was also immersed into the late 19th century cultural milieu as being involved into a polylogue on the topics of art, artist, ethics, and beauty which resulted in the emergence of Decadence and Modernism (Bell 1997). Altogether with the English fin de siecle men of art such as A. C. Swinburne, Walter Pater, Lionel Johnson, Ernest Christopher Dowson, George Moore Symons, and D. G. Rossetti, Wilde researched the concept of aesthetics as being constructed by a person who was proud of â€Å"[his] non-participation †¦ in ethical controversy† (Woodcock 53) and thus freed from the restrictions imposed by society and common law. Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"immoral aestheticism† as an integral part of the decadent and early modernist styles is what the present proposal attempts to look at. It will research Wilde’s critical and fictional legacy in regard to ideas and concepts as pertinent to the new understanding of relationship between art and morals. This proposal attempts to re-examine Oscar Wilde as a theorist of the novel aesthetics, establishing a link between the writer and other theorists and critics to prove that the call for immoral aestheticism was a brilliant attempt to overcome the boredom of reality and enter the world of absolute beauty. Modern Women’s Voices: Sexual Subjectivity in the texts of Victorian and contemporary British women writers Feminism is still one of the most popular critical lenses to zoom into details of history of literature and social life (Brennan 2002; Jackson 1998; Kemp 1997; Scott 1996), and it is proven to be useful within the framework of the given proposal aimed at tracing the common and differentiating points of the two critical periods of British literature. I am especially interested in the late Victorian epoch with its rise of independent women’s suffragist voices and the latest period with its diversity of tones and melodies composed by women writers amidst the turmoil of free speech and re-thinking of common gender values such as career, family, child-rearing, and gender relationships. The novels chosen are The Story of a Modern Woman by Ella Hepworth Dixon (1894), Anna Lombard by Victoria Cross (the pseudonym of Annie Sophie Cory1901), Foreign Parts by Janice Galloway (1994) and Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding (2004). The earlier and later books are divided by almost a century but despite a temporal distance there are common motives and aspirations which approximate the Victorian ‘New Woman’ and a modern British female as depicted in fiction. The feminist movement of the late Victorian period was pre-conditioned by many factors which made the trend not accidental but seriously grounded in the wider social context being permeated by patriarchal ascendance and rigidness of social structure (Bernstein 1997; Lewis and Ardis 2003). The ‘New Women’ movement that acquired much power during the period from the late 1890s to roughly 1915 featured a range of opinions concerning the heightened role of a female in a modern society (Walls 2002; Mitchell 1999). As Ardis (1990) observed, Dixon went farther than her colleagues in asserting the preciousness and independency of a woman as a self-sustaining creature (see also Fehlbaum 2005), whereas Cross’s Anna Lombard represents another type of the late Victorian womanhood as sacrificing her desires and aspirations for the sake of the traditional familial institution. The most recent books by Galloway and Fielding cannot be straight-forwardly labeled as ‘feminist’ writing, although they utilise some stylistic elements of feminist narration (Greene 1991). Whereas Galloway vividly portrays contemporary women as being able to function outside the patriarchic framework but provides no answer to the question about the appropriateness of such life style, Fielding is often criticised for the attempts to find consensus with a men’s world and, therefore, to abandon the programme of modern Amazons (Marsh 2004). Anyhow, both contemporary British women of letters share specific ideas concerning authorship and the interplay between feminist and non-feminist traditions to the extent that they can be seen as spiritual sisters of their Victorian predecessors. Being equipped with solid theoretical instruments from gender studies and psychology (e. g. Lacanian psychoanalytic theory) to conceptualise the evolution of womanhood and gendered selves in Great Britain throughout a century, I hope to establish a link between late Victorian and recent women’s writings with a special emphasis on the literary features of the female novel. The freshness of the proposal is in the choice of research objects (all the four novels are not enough extensively discussed by academic critics) and the carrying of analysis within the theoretical framework concerning authorship that was proposed by a Russian scholar Michael Bakhtin.