Description
Book SynopsisThe first book on Rebecca West that is solely devoted to her fiction, Paradoxical Feminism examines West's many and contradictory ideas concerning women and their relationships with men. Although West wrote disparagingly of Western patriarchal culture throughout her journalistic career, her novels show a surprising belief in and desire for male dominance. Ann Norton perceptively analyzes this paradox in West's work, demonstrating that West undermines her own feminism with this theme of male supremacy. Each chapter investigates different aspects of West's paradoxical feminism through close readings of her novels' characters, themes, and plots. These include her attitudes toward women as artists and professionals; women as subjects and objects in men's and women's narratives; women and men as parents; women and men in marriage; and the use of female "magic" as both a female language and a force for evil. Meticulously researched and well written, this fascinating work is a must-read for those with an interest in 20th century literature and feminism.
Trade ReviewA handful of respectable monographs survey West's entire production, often with some discussion of the fiction, but Ann Norton's 'Paradoxical Feminism' is the first thematic, book-length study to concentrate on the novels. . . . Norton's sustained analysis of her fiction and her feminism is a welcome and much-needed addition to West criticism. * English Literature In Transition 1880-1920 *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Foreward by Carl Rollyson Chapter 2 Foreward by Edward Mendelson Chapter 3 Preface Chapter 4 Acknowledgments Chapter 5 Money and Work Chapter 6 Venus and Cinderella Chapter 7 Mothers and Fathers Chapter 8 Marriage and Martyrs Chapter 9 Epilogue Chapter 10 Magic Chapter 11 Bibliography Chapter 12 Index
