Romanticism and Gender (Hardcover)

Current descriptions of literary Romanticism are almost entirely grounded on the writings of six male poets. Yet between the years 1780 and 1830, women writers produced at least half of the literature published in England. Taking 20 women writers of the Romantic period, "Romanticism and Gender" explores an alternative literary tradition. Anne Mellor analyzes the ideological investments and generic choices within the writing of a wide range of women. Here she identifies a distinct ideology which stands in contrast to that of the much studied male writers of the period. Providing a broad overview of Romantic literature from a feminist perspective, "Romanticism and Gender" links the fields of English literature and women's studies. It focuses on the writings of: Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, Maria Edgeworth, Susan Ferrier, Mary Ann Radcliffe, Dorothy Wordsworth, Felicia Hemans, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Mary Shelly and Helen Maria Williams, amongst others.