The wheel of God (1898)
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The wheel of God (1898)
（New woman fiction, 1881-1899 / general editor, Carolyn W. de la L. Oulton, v. 8）
Pickering & Chatto, 2011
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Note
Reprint. Originally published: London : Grant Richards, 1898
Bibliography: p. xxi-xxii
"Chronology of events in George Egerton's life": p. xxiii-xxiv
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 III Volume 7 Ouida The Massarenes (1897) edited by Andrew King. Volume 8 George Egerton The Wheel of God (1898) edited by Paul March-Russell. Volume 9 Mary Cholmondeley Red Pottage (1899) edited by Carolyn W de la L Oulton. The novels in this collection include one by a fierce opponent to the New Woman movement, as well as two from women whose work can be seen as archetypal New Woman fiction. Ouida (real name: Maria Louise Rame) was a particularly vocal opponent of the New Woman despite creating numerous example of the type during her prolific writing career. The Massarenes (1897) is a powerful satire on the consumer society of the 1890s and the superficial values of high society. It centres on the Massarene family and their entrance into Society via despicable means. William Massarene's daughter, Katherine, rejects such ill-gotten gains, however, and follows her own path. George Egerton was the pen name of Mary Chavelita Dunne - a charismatic woman whose work foreshadowed that of later female novelists such as Dorothy Richardson and Virginia Woolf. The Wheel of God (1898) uses literary devices which can be seen as indicative of proto-modernism. Woman is here depicted as an unknowable force, and in a style that is fragmentary and episodic. It is a fascinating and unique example of women's fiction from this period. First published in 1899, Mary Cholmondeley's Red Pottage was an instant bestseller in Britain and America, provoking both admiration and scandal among its late Victorian readership. Rachel West - a distinctly New Woman heroine - who lies at the centre of this tale, becomes instrumental in the redemption of a dissolute male character, whom she is nonetheless unable to save. West's friend, Hester Gresley, also has a male counterpoint in her clergyman brother, who sabotages her writing by burning the manuscript of her new novel - her 'child'. A novel of importance for its depiction of female friendship as well as its treatment of the Church, Cholmondeley's work has become more fashionable in recent years, making this edition timely.
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