Women's Reading in Britain, 1750-1835: A Dangerous Recreation

ISBN-13: 9780521584395 / Angielski / Twarda / 1999 / 312 str.

Jacqueline Pearson

Opis

The growth of female reading audiences from the mid-eighteenth century to the early Victorian era represents both a vital episode in women's history and a highly significant factor in shaping the literary production of the period. This book offers the first broad overview and detailed analysis of this growing readership, its representation in literature, and its influence. Jacqueline Pearson examines both historical women readers, including Laetitia Pilkington, Elizabeth Carter, Frances Burney and Jane Austen, and a wide range of texts in which the figure of the woman reader is important.

Recenzje

'… manages to be both scholarly and readable. the breadth of research is impressive, and covers a wide range of women readers, including both the well known and the less familiar … this will be a valuable text for anyone studying any aspect of gender and writing or reading during this important era.' Harriet Devine, Review of English Studies

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. Pygmalionesses and the pencil under the petticoat: Richardson, Johnson and Byron; 2. What should girls and women read? 3. The pleasures and perils of reading; 4. Pleasures and perils of reading: some case histories; 5. Where and how should women read? 6. Preparing for equality: class, gender, reading; 7. A dangerous recreation: women and novel reading; Conclusion; Notes; Select Bibliography; Index.