This work investigates the historical and cultural construction of racial identity through the lens of white female authorship in Britain and America over three centuries. Diane Roberts, an academic and cultural critic, utilizes a framework of textual analysis to challenge the assumption that white women writers have historically been passive participants in the propagation of racial stereotypes. By examining how these authors navigated and reinforced the mythic spheres of race, Roberts argues that these representations continue to influence contemporary societal perceptions of black and white identities.

Scholars and critics recognize this text as a significant contribution to the intersection of literary history and racial discourse. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of how literature shapes and reflects societal racial biases.