<p> This exploration of the ways in which pregnancy affects narrative begins with two canonical American texts, Nathaniel Hawthorne's <I>The Scarlet Letter</I> (1848) and Harriet Jacobs's <I>Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl</I> (1861). Relying on such diverse works as <I>Frankenstein, Peyton Place, Beloved</I>, and <I>I Love Lucy</I>, the book chronicles how pregnancy evolves from a conventional plot device into a mature narrative form.</p><p> Especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, the pregnancy narrative in fiction and film acts as a lightning rod with the power to electrify all genres of fiction and film, from early melodrama (<I>Way Down East</I>) to noir (<I>Leave Her to Heaven</I>); from horror (<I>Rosemary's Baby</I>) to science fiction and dystopia (<I>Alien, The Handmaid's Tale</I>); and from iconic (<I>Lolita</I>) to independent (<I>Juno, Precious</I>). Ultimately, the pregnancy narrative in popular film and fiction provides a remarkably clear lens by which we can gauge how popular American film and fiction express our most profound--and most private--fears, values and hopes.</p>