Description
Book SynopsisForming a critical introduction to the history of women's autobiography from the mid 18th-century to the present, this book analyses the most important changes in women's autobiography, exploring their motivation, context, style, and the role of life experiences. Caine effortlessly segues across three centuries of history: from the emergence of the modern autobiography' in the 18th-century which laid bare the scandalous lives of fallen women', to the literary and suffragist autobiographies of the 19th-century to the establishment of feminist publishers in the 20th century and the taboo-shattering autobiographies they produced. The result is a much-needed history, one which provides a different way of thinking about the trajectory of genre information. Caine's compelling study fills an important gap in the genre of autobiography, by embracing a wide range of women and offering an extensive discussion of the autobiographies of women across the 19th and 20th centuries, making it ideal f
Trade ReviewCaine has written a well-researched, chronological account of a selection of British women’s autobiographies from the 18th through the 20th centuries. It traces the changes of approach and focus over time, thus demonstrating the evolution of the situation of women. It will make an excellent addition to classes on women’s history generally and autobiography specifically. * Patricia Lorcin, Professor of History, University of Minnesota, USA *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Women and the Autobiographical Impulse 1. Transgressive Women and 18th Century Autobiography 2. The Professionalisation of Women’s Autobiography 3. Writing Autobiography as History 4. The Personal is Political 5. Women’s Autobiography Goes Global Epilogue Bibliography Index
