This collection of essays, edited by Sheryl L. Meyering and with a foreword by Cathy N. Davidson, maps a way for readers to approach Charolotte Perkins Gilman's large body of fiction and poetry. In addition to providing biographical background they treat the fundamental ideas Gilman developed through her work: the need for women to do -meaningful work- outside the home, the conflict suffered by the woman artist, and the depression and breakdown frequently resulting from that conflict. Sheryl L. Meyering is Emerita Professor of English at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville.