The document provides background information on three 19th century American women writers - Emily Dickinson, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Kate Chopin. It discusses the limited social, political, and economic opportunities for women at that time. It then summarizes key biographical details and literary themes/styles of each writer, with a particular focus on Dickinson's unconventional poetry, Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" addressing postpartum depression, and Chopin's short story "Story of an Hour" depicting a woman's complex response to her husband's supposed death.