Kith and kin (1881)
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Kith and kin (1881)
（New woman fiction, 1881-1899 / general editor, Carolyn W. de la L. Oulton, v. 1）
Pickering & Chatto, 2010
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Note
Reprint. Originally published: London : Richard Bentley, 1881
Bibliography: p. xxxvi-xl
"Chronology of events in Jessie Fothergill's life": p. xli-xlii
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The late nineteenth century saw the emergence of New Woman fiction, a genre of writing which sought to challenge traditional Victorian conceptions of the role of women and promote their independence, education and political participation. This collection brings together important examples of New Woman fiction, each of which helped to crystallise the idea of the New Woman - as an educated, politically aware and independent individual - during the early years of the suffragette movement. The book will be of interest to students of the suffragette movement, as well as to those interested in the history of feminism more generally.
Table of Contents
Part I Volume 1 Jessie Fothergill Kith and Kin (1881) edited by Brenda Ayres. Volume 2 Vernon Lee Miss Brown (1884) edited by Karen Yuen Volume 3 Mona Caird The Wing of Azrael (1889) edited by Alexandra Warwick. Given the increased - and increasing - focus on New Woman writing over the past two decades, there is a clear demand for scholarly editions of texts that will enable further research. This first part contains three early examples of the genre, each portraying women in ways wholly different from those which precede them. Kith and Kin (1881) by Jessie Fothergill has not been published in book form since 1903, despite the author's popularity on both sides of the Atlantic. Amongst many interesting, convoluted gender dynamics portrayed in the story, the character of Judith Conisbrough is of particular interest as a New Woman heroine. Conisbrough is born into a respectable yet poor family, but in contrast to the accepted societal mores of the day, she rejects a marriage proposal that would lead to financial stability and instead seeks out a career that allows her to earn her own money. Vernon Lee's Miss Brown was greeted with mixed reviews on its publication in 1884. A thinly disguised portrait of many of Lee's (real name: Violet Paget) friends and acquaintances, the novel caused considerable offence to those concerned. The central protagonist is a young governess, Anne Brown, whose involvement with her guardian and suitor, Walter Hamlin, allows Lee to promote her own ideas on gender, power, art, and society. The Wing of Azrael (1889) was Mona Caird's first novel to be published under her own name, though she is best known for her article 'Marriage' which was published in the Westminster Review (1888). In this article, Caird describes marriage as 'the most hypocritical form of woman-purchase', so it is no surprise that The Wing of Azrael is an attack on the patriarchal ideology of feminine submission.
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