George Gissing, the working woman, and urban culture
By: Emma Liggins.
Publisher: Ashgate Pub.; Routledge; Ashgate
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Burlington, VT
Language: eng
Number of pages: 193
Subjects: Gissing, George, 1857-1903 -- Characters -- Women employees.; Feminism and literature -- England -- History -- 19th century.; Women and literature -- England -- History -- 19th century.; Working class women in literature.; City and town life in literature.; Women employees in literature.; Women in literature.; London (England) -- In literature.
Description: "George Gissing's work reflects his observations of fin-de-siecle London life. Influenced by the French naturalist school, his realist representations of urban culture testify to the significance of the city for the development of new class and gender identities, particularly for women. Liggins's study, which considers standard texts such as The Odd Woman, New Grub Street, and The Nether World as well as lesser known short works, examines Gissing's fiction in relation to the formation of these new identities, focusing specifically on debates about the working woman."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Prostitution and the freedoms of streetwalking; title: Industrious, independent women : labour and leisure for the East End work-girl; title: Barriers to female professionalism : educated working women and the threat of celibacy; title: White-collar work and the future possibilities of the odd woman; title: From bachelor girl to working mother : finding a public space for the emancipated heroine.