About this title: In a narrative of immense scope and fascination--spanning nearly 400 years and brimming with Showalter's characteristic wit and incisive opinions--readers are introduced to more than 250 female writers, both famous and little known.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781400041237ISBN:1400041236
Description: Very Good in small taped tear jacket. First Edition. first edition hardcover; very nice jacke with small taped tear; clean text; no marks. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: LITTLE, BROWN BOOK GROUP Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781844080786ISBN:1844080781
Description: BRAND NEW HARDBACK. 608 pages. * elaine showalter, author of the classic a literature of their own, now turns to her own heritage, bringing us an unprecedented literary landmark: the first comprehensive history of american women writers from 1650 to the present (Hardback) read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf
Date Published: 2009-02-24
ISBN-13:9781400041237ISBN:1400041236
Description: New. This is a paperback ARC with plain cover and publisher stickers. This book is the same isbn, but is a paperback. New, unread, unused & in perfect condition with no damaged or missing pages. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Random House Inc
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781400041237ISBN:1400041236
Description: New. In a narrative of immense scope and fascination--spanning nearly 400 years and brimming with Showalter's characteristic wit and incisive opinions--readers are introduced to more than 250 female writers, both famous and little known. read more
Edition: 1st Edition
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Virago Press, UK
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781844080786ISBN:1844080781
Description: New in New jacket. This mint, First Edition, HARDBACK, Virago Press, 2009, has a mint, unclipped dust jacket that is now protected in a clear acid-free slipcover. The cover is black boards with white lettering to the spine. The book size is 6.5” w x 9” h with notes, an index and 586 pristine pages on high quality paper. ISBN 1844080781. SLAVERY, RACE, AND WOMEN'S WRITING. “ From Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), the most widely read American novel of the ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
Date Published: 2009-02-24
ISBN-13:9781400041237ISBN:1400041236
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781400041237. read more
"This is massive and comprehensive. If I didn't have adult duties that had nothing whatsoever to do with this topic, I'd plow through this book, seek out people to discuss it with."
"Great and comprehensive overview of American fiction and poetry by women. I like Showalter's style and the sheer readability of the book is impressive. Learned a ton and my 'to be' read; list has grown by about 15 new-to-me authors."
"My response to this book is complicated. I think it does important work; no book like this has ever been compiled. However, it makes me wonder what, exactly, we're counting on a "literary history" to do. I may find bits (small bits) of this text useful in pointing me toward previously unfamiliar authors whose work might prove fruitful for my dissertation; beyond that, however, I question its usefulness and, more importantly, the effect it has on the body of American women writers that it treats.
Reading all 600 pages, would be an exercise in torture, at least for me. The text is organized chronologically, which makes a certain amount of sense, but adds to its monotony. Showalter goes on and on and on, devoting anywhere from a measly paragraph to a few pages per author. She clearly despises some and loves others, and I can't help but wonder if her passing of judgment is counter-intuitive to her stated, or implied, purpose. She also gives many sections trite, summary headings such as "The Jewish Sybil" or "The Socialist," an act which seems completely to go against the text's stated drive. In giving a literary history of American women writers, and devoting time to their trials and achievements, should an author really sum up these incredibly complex human figures into one-word headings? So simply labeling and categorizing women writers is at best misguided and, at worst, insulting.
In the end, her critical references are glanced over and cursory. This should be labeled a literary history "according to Showalter"; it in no way seems to attempt an unbiased treatment (as much as such an attempt is even possible). While this could be useful in introducing unfamiliar and overlooked women writers, I feel it would have proved more fruitful as an annotated, searchable database."
By Janette,
Stirling, Stirlingshire, The United Kingdom
"Showalter is brilliant, as ever, at putting her finger on just the right question. She leaves some people out and is a bit thin on her thesis that the experience of being a woman writer now is fine (when it's not) and that literary criticism accepts women writers equally with men (when it doesn't) - but she writes so well, so compellingly that I accept all she says anyway."
We guarantee every item's condition, as described on Alibris. If you are not satisfied that an item is as described, return your purchase for a refund.
rating
