The purpose of this paper is to trace a descriptive history of woman's psyche as manifested in English and American literature by and about women during the period from 1688 through 1975. The application of archetypal theory (the description of recurrent patterns in symbolic and narrative structures within a wide and complex field of material) to the works of women authors reveals a logical schema of "matrilinear patterns" which reflects the unique nature of female behavior and experience. (KS)