A New Woman Reader: Fiction, Articles and Drama of the 1890s

Carolyn Christensen Nelson

Broadview Press, Nov 7, 2000 - Literary Criticism - 376 pages

In the 1890s one phrase above all stood as shorthand for the various controversies over gender that swirled throughout the period: “the New Woman.” In New Women fiction, progressive writers such as Sarah Grand, George Egerton, and Ella D’Arcy gave imaginative life to the plight of modern women—and reactionaries such as Grant Allen attempted to put women back in their place. In all the leading journals of the day these and other writers argued their cases in essays, letters, and reviews as well as in fiction. This anthology brings together for the first time a representative selection of the most important, interesting, and influential of New Woman writings.

Contents

• GEORGE EGERTON: 7
• SARAH GRAND: 34
• NETTA SYRETT: 52
• VICTORIA CROSS: 70
• ADA RADFORD: 91
• MABEL E WOTTON: 101
• ELLA DARCY: 109
• THE DEBATE OVER WOMENS SUFFRAGE: 119
• HER CRITICS RESPOND: 140
• THE MARRIAGE QUESTION: 184
• THE ATTACK ON THE NEW WOMAN WRITERS: 225
• THE REVOLTING DAUGHTERS: 261
• INTRODUCTION: 295
• FURTHER READING: 353

About the author

Carolyn Christensen Nelson teaches English and Women’s Studies at West Virginia University, and has published widely on nineteenth-century literature.

Bibliographic information

• Title: A New Woman Reader: Fiction, Articles and Drama of the 1890s
• Editor: Carolyn Christensen Nelson
• Publisher: Broadview Press, 2000
• ISBN: 1551112957, 9781551112954
• Length: 376 pages
• Subjects: History / Modern / 19th Century; Literary Criticism / Women Authors