responsible for the victories of Reagan and, espe-
cially, Bush, but it also influenced the strategies
and tactics adopted in future campaigns. Such cam-
paigns often became more focused on personal at-
tacks than on policy issues. They concentrated espe-
cially on making voters fear one’s opponent rather
than cultivating trust of oneself. This approach was
certainly not new, nor was it solely the province of
the Right, but it did increase both in frequency
and in social acceptability following the 1988 cam-
paign. In addition, Atwater helped modernize the
business of political consulting, influencing many of
the private-sector political strategists and tacticians
who followed him. His use of cultural tastes and
trends to influence the voting behavior of specific
demographics also set a precedent that would con-
tinued into the future.
Further Reading
Alterman, Eric. “GOP Chairman Lee Atwater: Play-
ing Hardball.”The New York Times, April 30, 1989.
Oreskes, Michael. “Lee Atwater, Master of Tactics for
Bush and G.O.P., Dies at 40.”The New York Times,
March 30, 1991.
Parmet, Herbert S.George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star
Yankee. Piscataway, N.J.: Transaction, 2000.
Laurence R. Jurdem
See also Bentsen, Lloyd; Bush, George H. W.; Con-
servatism in U.S. politics; Dukakis, Michael; Elec-
tions in the United States, 1980; Elections in the
United States, 1988; Horton, William; Quayle, Dan;
Reagan, Ronald.
Auel, Jean M.
Identification American fiction author
Born February 18, 1936; Chicago, Illinois
Auel’s Earth’s Children series offers a well-researched fic-
tional account of life during the Stone Age. Written with
strong feminist undertones, her novels appeared at a time
when interest in prehistor y was increasing and the role of
women in society was becoming heavily debated.
Jean M. Auel went from technical writer and poet to
best-selling fiction author with her Earth’s Children
series of novels. The first three of the novels ap-
peared in the 1980’s:The Clan of the Cave Bear(1980),
The Valley of the Horses(1982), andThe Mammoth
Hunters(1985). Auel would later continue the series
withThe Plains of Passage(1990) andThe Shelters of
Stone(2002). Drawing extensively on archaeological
research, she is credited with weaving fact with cre-
ative thought to offer a glimpse of what life may have
been like for Neanderthals and for Cro-Magnon hu-
mans, as well as providing some perspective on the
evolutionary process ofHomo sapiens. Her award-
winning series touches on the history of prehistoric
humans, evolutionary processes, matriarchal and
patriarchal societies, and the gender roles prevalent
in each culture. Her series has received both acclaim
and criticism relating to its historical accuracy, por-
trayal of a feminist utopia, and anachronistic mirror-
ing of political and social themes of the 1980’s. Two
of her novels were adapted for film:The Valley of the
Horsesin 1984 andThe Clan of the Cave Bear, starring
Daryl Hannah, in 1986.Impact Because Auel’s fiction is so heavily blended
with researched facts, her works provide a theoreti-
cal basis for understanding prehistoric life and soci-
ety. Because she details and contrasts both matri-
archal and patriarchal societies through the eyes of
a female protagonist, her works have been praised
for offering a strong feminist perspective for main-
stream audiences. Auel’s, moreover, is a recogniz-
ably second-wave brand of feminism, distinctive of
the 1980’s, in that her main character, Ayla, deals
not merely with “legislated” inequality but also with
patriarchal ideas and behaviors in ways that model
the second-wave feminist slogan, “the personal is po-
litical.”Further Reading
Andrade, Glenna Maire.(Re)Envisioned (Pre)Histor y:
Feminism, Goddess Politics, and Readership Analysis of
Jean M. Auel’s “The Clan of the Cave Bear” and “The
Valley of the Horses.”Kingston: University of Rhode
Island, 1998.
“Jean M(arie) Auel.” InTwentieth-Centur y Romance
and Historical Writers. 3d ed. Edited by Aruna
Vasudevan. London: St. James Press, 1994.
Wilcox, Clyde. “The Not-So-Failed Feminism of Jean
Auel.”Journal of Popular Culture28 (Winter, 1994):
63-70.
Susan E. ThomasSee also Archaeology; Feminism; Film in the
United States; Hannah, Daryl.The Eighties in America Auel, Jean M. 83