Discourses of Ageing in Fiction and Feminism The Invisible Woman

by King, Jeannette

• ISBN13: 9780230298569
• ISBN10: 0230298567
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-12-24
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

What do fictional representations of older women add to our understanding of a group of individuals often marginalized in our youth-oriented society? How far can they challenge the more dominant representations to be found in popular culture, and even in medical and sociological journals? And what has feminism had to contribute? Starting from an overview of nineteenth-century women's fiction in relation to these contexts, Discourses of Ageing in Fiction and Feminism explores these questions through close readings of the work of major twentieth-century women novelists, considered in relation to these non-fictional perceptions. It argues that their novels offer a feminist understanding of the "invisible" woman sometimes lacking in feminism itself.

Author Biography

JEANNETTE KING is Emeritus Professor in English at the University of Aberdeen, UK. Having taught part-time for many years for the Open University while bringing up her children, she moved into Further Education before becoming a Lecturer in Women's Studies in the Department of English at Aberdee in 1995 where she taught until her retirement.

Table of Contents

ContentsList of Illustrations AcknowledgementsIntroductionPART I: BECOMING VISIBLECrones, Viragoes or Wise Women? Discourses of Female Ageing 1850-1900Spinsters, Widows and Mothers: Fictional ResponsesThe Demented OtherPART II: THE 1960s AND AFTERSecond-wave Feminism: Sisterhood and 'My Generation' 'If the Old Could': Bridging the Generation Gap Autobiographical Fictions of Female Ageing PART III: The 1990s Discourses of Female Ageing at the Fin-de-siècle The Sexual Politics of Ageing Conclusion: Shaking A Leg At Age: Angela Carter, Wise Children NotesBibliographyIndex