The 'Improper' Feminine : The Women's Sensation Novel and the New Woman Writing

The women's sensation novel of the 1860s and the New Woman fiction of the 1890s were two major examples of a perceived feminine invasion of fiction which caused a critical furore in their day. Both genres, with their shocking, `fast' heroines, fired the popular imagination by putting female sexuality on the literary agenda and undermining the `proper feminine' ideal to which nineteenth-century women and fictional heroines were supposed to aspire. By exploring in impressive depth and breadth the material and discursive conditions in which these novels were produced, The `Improper' Feminine draws attention to key gendered interrelationships within the literary and wider cultures of the mid-Victorian and fin-de-diècle periods. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Introductory note......Page 10 Gender and writing, writing and gender......Page 16 The subject of Woman......Page 24 The subject of Woman and the subject of women's fiction......Page 32 Fiction and the feminine: a gendered critical discourse......Page 35 Fiction, the feminine and the sensation novel......Page 43 Representation and the feminine: engendering fiction in the 1890s......Page 49 Historicising genre (1): the cultural moment of the woman's sensation novel......Page 60 Surveillance and control: women, the family and the law......Page 68 Spectating the Social Evil: fallen and other women......Page 75 Reviewing the subject of women: the sensation novel and the 'Girl of the Period'......Page 80 Historicising genre (2): sensation fiction, women's genres and popular narrative forms......Page 86 Mary Elizabeth Braddon: the secret histories of women......Page 96 Ellen Wood: secret skeletons in the family, and the spectacle of women's suffering......Page 127 The New Woman......Page 150 The New Woman writing and some marriage questions......Page 156 Writing difference differently......Page 167 Feeling, motherhood and True Womanhood......Page 171 Woman's 'affectability' and the literature of hysteria......Page 177 Writing women: writing woman......Page 190 New Woman: new writing......Page 205 Conclusion: reading out women's writing......Page 211 Notes......Page 223 Works referred to......Page 228 Index......Page 238 Pt. I. The 'improper' Feminine. 1. Gender And Writing, Writing And Gender. 2. The Subject Of Woman. 3. The Subject Of Woman And The Subject Of Women's Fiction. 4. Fiction And The Feminine: A Gendered Critical Discourse. 5. Fiction, The Feminine And The Sensation Novel. 6. Representation And The Feminine: Engendering Fiction In The 1890s -- Pt. Ii. The Sentimental And Sensational Sixties: The Limits Of The Proper Feminine. 7. Historicising Genre (1): The Cultural Moment Of The Woman's Sensation Novel. 8. Surveillance And Control: Women, The Family And The Law. 9. Spectating The Social Evil: Fallen And Other Women. 10. Reviewing The Subject Of Women: The Sensation Novel And The 'girl Of The Period'. 11. Historicising Genre (2): Sensation Fiction, Women's Genres And Popular Narrative Forms. 12. Mary Elizabeth Braddon: The Secret Histories Of Women. 13. Ellen Wood: Secret Skeletons In The Family, And The Spectacle Of Women's Suffering -- Pt. Iii. Breaking The Bounds: The Improper Feminine And The Fiction Of The New Woman. 14. The New Woman. 15. The New Woman Writing And Some Marriage Questions. 16. Writing Difference Differently. 17. Feeling, Motherhood And True Womanhood. 18. Woman's 'affectability' And The Literature Of Hysteria. 19. Writing Women: Writing Woman. 20. New Woman: New Writing -- Conclusion: Reading Out Women's Writing. Lyn Pykett. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The women's sensation novel of the 1860s and the New Woman fiction of the 1890s were two major examples of a perceived feminine invasion of fiction which caused a critical furore in their day. Both genres, with their shocking, 'fast' heroines, fired the popular imagination by putting female sexuality on the literary agenda and undermining the 'proper feminine' ideal to which nineteenth-century women and fictional heroines were supposed to aspire. By exploring in impressive depth and breadth the material and discursive conditions in which these novels were produced, The 'Improper' Feminine draws attention to key gendered interrelationships within the literary and wider cultures of the mid-Victorian and fin-de-sicle periods. The first comparative study of the women's sensation novel of the 1860s and the New Woman fiction of the 1890s, two genres which undermined the ideal of the `proper feminine' and dangerously put female sexuality on the literary agenda.