This edition reprints the text of Stein's three avant-garde novellas of working-class women together with a wide spectrum of thematically arranged historical documents. These accompanying selections address the role and perception of women at the turn of the century; the impact of medical science, philosophy, modern art, and realism on Gertrude Stein as a developing writer; and issues of gender, race, religion, class, and sexual orientation. Excerpts from Stanton, Cooper, Wilde, Freud, James, and Du Bois enhance students' understanding and appreciation of Stein's 1909 literary experiment with character, language, and style.