美國十八世紀末及十九世紀初的女性感傷小說向來被視為是一種瑣碎的，無價值的，以及濫情的文學體裁。然而，蘇珊那羅森的夏綠蒂寺廟卻在五十年內再版兩百次。對於一本如此受歡迎的的小說卻被視為瑣碎且無價值是很矛盾的事。事實上，女性感傷小說是在作者本身與她生活的社會文化背景產生互動的關係下所產生的文學作品。感傷小說的女性作家不只反映男性主宰及女性附屬的社會現實，也藉著描寫這種呈現了當時代女性的生活現實來企圖干涉已經深植的文化並給予女性一個具有其特殊性及正當性的歷史價值。
　　本論文以蘇珊娜羅森的Charlotte Temple以及它的續集Lucy Temple為研究焦點來提出論辯。討論感傷小說的女性作家是以其政治化的寫作立場企圖推翻深植的男性父權意識形態。藉著呈現女性感傷小說中的特質，例如著重家庭生活以及多愁善感來使女性地位具有其正當性。本論文採用了文化唯物主義的三個階段來說明。首先就是作家將她生活的社會在文本中真實呈現，這一階段看似是作家對她生活的文化加以鞏固。第二階段是作家企圖顛覆她所呈現的社會文化。第三階段就是因為寫作企圖是顛覆,所以冀望她的作品來達成對於深植的社會文化有所阻遏的作用。
　　第一章提供了羅森所生活的十八世紀末及十九世紀初的美國和英國社會文化背景。時代的變動促使女性在當時的社會中扮演與男性同等重要的角色。然而，強勢的男性本位主義與父權體制貶抑了女性的社會價值和重要性。這個現實與體制間的衝突便是羅森寫作的目的。
　　第二章討論如何藉著在Charlotte Temple裡真實呈現當代男性主宰及女性附屬的的社會文化，並以感傷小說中特有的著重家庭生活的描寫來強調女人在社會中的獨特性以及重要性，以及利用多愁善感的感染性來引起讀者的共鳴。
　　第三章討論羅森如何在十九世紀初女性激進運動的氛圍下以描寫Lucy Temple這位女性角色在傳統社會道德規範下經歷被父權體制壓制,最後跳脫於這個體制之外的過程來呈現當時代的女性正處於一個由舊時代轉變為女性較為自主的衝擊點上,並藉以影響她的讀者及社會。藉著把Lucy塑造成一位歷經衝突而被重新定義的女性角色，羅森期盼這本小說在當時女性運動與舊有體制的衝突中扮演鼓舞女性改造的社會作用。
　　結論總結了羅森的兩本小說所呈現的女性感傷小說的時代性,與價值性，與它在時代變遷中所提供的貢獻，證明女性感傷小說並非只是瑣碎、無價值、且濫情的文學作品。

　Women’s sentimental novels in late eighteenth- and early ninetieth-century America have been usually regarded as a trivial, useless and emotionally-exaggerated literary genre. However, Susanna Rowson’s Charlotte Temple went through two hundred editions in fifty years. It is contradictory for a novel which is considered trivial and useless to gain such popularity. In fact, women’s sentimental novels are the literary product of the interaction between historical and cultural backgrounds and writers who live in that contemporary period. The sentimental woman writer not only reflects the social reality of male-dominated and female-subordinated relationships but also, by writing in this particular literary genre which represents the particular time and space of women, intervenes the established culture and renders women a place of significance and legitimation.
　This thesis focuses on Susanna Rowson’s two novels, Charlotte Temple and its sequel, Lucy Temple, to argue that in women’s sentimental novels there exists the women writers’ politicized intention to subvert the established patriarchal ideology and, to legitimate women’s status by representing certain characteristics of women’s sentimental novels, such as domesticity, sentimentality. To interpret my argument, I adopt the three stages of cultural materialism: the writer’s consolidation to her cultural background, her subversion to it, and the containment that she tends to intervene it by politicizing her position.
　Chapter One provides Rowson’s social and cultural background in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England and America. The social changes led women to play a social role which is as important as men’s. However, the dominant male ideology and patriarchy degraded women’s values and importance. This contradiction is the purpose of Rowson to write these two novels.
　Chapter Two discusses how Rowson presents the culture that men dominate and women subordinated in Charlotte Temple, how she uses the characteristics of women’s sentimental novels--domesticity and sentimentality, to strengthen the importance and significance of women and to legitimate women’s social status.
　Chapter Three discusses how Rowson, in the social phenomenon of women’s rapid movement in the early nineteenth-century America, tends to influence her readers and society and encourage women’s movement by portraying the process of the reformed new woman--Lucy Temple.
　In the conclusion chapter I sum up the significance of women’s sentimental novels to prove that women’s sentimental novels are not trivial, valueless, and emotionally-exaggerated literary works.

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