A Sentimental Education

A Sentimental Education by Hannah McGregor explores feminist scholarship as a way of life, combining memoir and theory to consider collective practices of feminist meaning-making in various activities. It reflects on the author's education as a reader and thinker, analyzing genres and aesthetic modes that have been sites of feminist meaning-making. The book invites readers to reconsider culture, media, political structures, and lived experiences that shape our understanding of the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 20 September 2022
Publisher: Wilfrid Laurier University Press

Introduction:
The story of a feminist education is a complex and multifaceted endeavor, as the work of feminism can never be perfected or completed. However, in A Sentimental Education, Hannah McGregor, the podcaster behind Witch, Please and Secret Feminist Agenda, delves into what podcasting has taught her about doing feminist scholarship not as a methodology but as a way of life. Through a blend of memoir and theory, McGregor explores the collective practices of feminist meaning-making in various activities, including reading, critique, podcasting, and even mourning. This book serves as a memoir of McGregor's education as a reader and thinker, as well as an analysis of the genres and aesthetic modes that have been sites of feminist meaning-making. Above all, it is a meditation on what it means to care deeply and to know that caring is both necessary and utterly insufficient.

The Memoir of a Feminist Education:
In A Sentimental Education, McGregor weaves together her personal experiences with broader cultural and political contexts. She reflects on her upbringing as a white settler, a fat femme, and a motherless daughter, and how these identities have shaped her understanding of feminism and the world. McGregor's memoir is a testament to the power of storytelling and the importance of sharing one's experiences to promote understanding and empathy.

The Analysis of Genres and Aesthetic Modes:
McGregor's essays consider the collective practices of feminist meaning-making in a range of genres and aesthetic modes. She explores the sentimental, the personal, the banal, and the relatable as sites of feminist meaning-making. By examining these genres and modes, McGregor challenges readers to reconsider the culture, media, political structures, and lived experiences that inform how we move through the world separately and together.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, A Sentimental Education is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be a feminist in the 21st century. Through her personal narrative and analysis of various genres and aesthetic modes, McGregor invites readers to reconsider the culture, media, political structures, and lived experiences that shape our understanding of feminism and the world. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in promoting understanding, empathy, and social change.

Weight: 210g
Dimension: 133 x 203 x 11 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781771125574