The Feminist Companion to Literature in English: Woman Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present [Hardcover]

Professor Virginia Blain (Author), Professor Patricia Clements (Author), Professor Isobel Grundy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 1990

Women writers have long been slighted in standard bibliographies, directories, and literary histories. This unique volume--the first fully international biographical and topical guide to women writers--redresses a long-standing inequity. Biographical entries of women writers outline their life and work, also setting each in the context of her time and makes clear her interest today.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Impeccable scholarship and breadth of coverage make this work a standout among several recently published on the subject. Covering more than 2700 English-language women writers, entries averaging 500 or so words chronicle writings not only in canonized genres but also in popular forms like memoirs, diaries, and travel literature. The compilers and a large team of scholars have freshly examined much of the material to provide a new level of accuracy and completeness, especially in covering works by and about hundreds of pre-modern women writers. An index of cross-references clarifies the name problems that inevitably crop up in the alphabetically-arranged listings. Entries include mention of major scholarship and are current through the mid-1980s. Some even include forthcoming works. Indispensable for literary research collections.
- Susanna Bartmann Pathak, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

These two books are key materials to anyone interested in female literary figures. The Feminist Companion to Literature in English has 1,200 pages of alphabetical annotations (none longer than a column) of women authors from the Middle Ages to 1985, chronicling their literary triumphs and failures. Great Women Writers lists the complete works of 135 of the most influential women authors, along with a detailed biography, an in-depth literary analysis of major works and a bibliography of autobiographies. I found both interesting and satisfying: The Feminist Companion as a quick invitation to new authors and Great Women Writers as an probing exploration of my favorites. For aspiring writers and literary buffs, you'll find both of these volumes able guides to the world of literary women. -- From The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by KS

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1252 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1ST edition (October 24, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300048548
• ISBN-13: 978-0300048544
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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