Feminism and Women's Writing: An Introduction

This book explores the impact of feminist ideas on British womens fiction and non-fiction writing, covering feminist engagements with the canon, gender, the body, sexual difference, and ethnicity. It also examines types of fiction writing, including romance, crime, science fiction, life-writing, and historical fiction, and provides case studies of influential works.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2018
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Feminism and women's fiction in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been shaped by a range of key debates, which have transformed the form and content of literature. This book introduces you to these debates and provides a comprehensive overview of feminist critical approaches to literature. The Introduction sets out the critical background and the main feminist critical approaches to literature, followed by five chapters that outline feminist engagements with the canon, gender, the body, sexual difference, and ethnicity. The next five chapters examine types of fiction writing, including romance, crime, science fiction, life-writing, and historical fiction, to show the effect of feminist ideas on the form of women's literature. The text also provides a wide range of illuminating case studies, including Virago Modern Classics, the Women Prize for Fiction, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland, Angela Carter's The Passion of New Eve, Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman, Lucy Ellmann's Sweet Desserts, Barbie dolls, French feminism and sexuality, trans identities, feminist publishing and ethnicity, black and minority ethnic women's writing, Zadie Smith's novels, Toni Morrison's Beloved, Eimear McBride's A Girl is a Half Formed Thing, Val McDermid and lesbian crime writing, Ruth Rendell and the invention of the 'whydunit', Margaret Atwood's Maddaddam sci fi trilogy, Jeanette Winterson's Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit and The Passion, Pat Barker's Regeneration trilogy, and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. Each chapter ends with a list of primary texts and recommended further reading.

Key Features:

Provides a clear overview of changing feminist debates and terms from the first to the fourth wave

Each chapter ends with a list of primary texts and recommended further reading

Includes a wide range of illuminating case studies

Covers a range of genres, including romance, crime, science fiction, life-writing, and historical fiction

Explores the impact of feminist ideas on the form of women's literature

Includes a range of feminist critical approaches, including postcolonialism, queer theory, and intersectionality

Represents a diverse range of feminist perspectives and voices

Is accessible to students and scholars of literature and feminist studies

In conclusion, this book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the key debates in feminism and women's fiction in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It offers a clear overview of changing feminist debates and terms, provides a wide range of illuminating case studies, and covers a range of genres. Whether you are a student or scholar of literature or feminist studies, this book will provide you with valuable insights into the ways in which feminist ideas have transformed the form and content of women's literature.

Weight: 406g
Dimension: 243 x 173 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474415606