Gertrude Stein and Expatriation

Abstract

The initial impetus behind this study was the question of how to most accurately describe Gertrude Stein’s physical separation from the United States. Labeling that separation as expatriation means a tangle of definitions and counter-definitions and popular impressions, all of which the author of this article considers as inappropriate in describing Stein. The purpose of the study, therefore, is to explore the notion, in light of what we know about Stein’s experience, that expatriation for Americans represents a rejection of the United States in favour of a more amenable and foreign culture. After giving the reasons for Stein’s expatriation, the focus is set on the changes this essential event caused in her life as well as in her personal development. Far from being a rejection of her native land, Stein’s expatriation can be seen as an embracing of that land and as an opportunity for her to move closer to it by moving away from it. Finally we see how this absence of her homeland inspired Stein to write.