Gender and Utopia in the Eighteenth Century: Essays in English and French Utopian Writing / Edition 1

by Brenda Tooley, Nicole Pohl

Overview

Focusing on eighteenth-century constructions of symbolic femininity and eighteenth-century women's writing in relation to contemporary utopian discourse, this volume adjusts our understanding of the utopia of the Enlightenment, placing a unique emphasis on colonial utopias. These essays reflect on issues related to specific configurations of utopias and utopianism by considering in detail English and French texts by both women (Sarah Scott, Sarah Fielding, Isabelle de Charrière) and men (Paltock and Montesquieu). The contributors ask the following questions: In the influential discourses of eighteenth-century utopian writing, is there a place for 'woman,' and if so, what (or where) is it? How do 'women' disrupt, confirm, or ground the utopian projects within which these constructs occur? By posing questions about the inscription of gender in the context of eighteenth-century utopian writing, the contributors shed new light on the eighteenth-century legacies that continue to shape contemporary views of social and political progress.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780754654353
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/28/2007
Pages:	205
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Nicole Pohl is Senior Lecturer in English at Oxford Brookes University, UK. Brenda Tooley is Dean of the College and Vice-President of Academic Affairs at Cornell College, USA.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction, Nicole PohlBrenda Tooley; Chapter 2 Utopian Exchanges, Lee CullenKhanna; Chapter 3 A Fragile Utopia of Sensibility, Joseph F.Bartolomeo; Chapter 4 Gothic Utopia, BrendaTooley; Chapter 5 Rewriting Rousseau, CarolineWeber; Chapter 6 Utopia in the Seraglio, MaryMcAlpin; Chapter 7 Transparency and the Enlightenment Body, Ana M.Acosta; Chapter 8 Gender and the Voyage Utopia, NicolePohl; Chapter 9 Improvement, Patriarchy and Gender, Elizabeth HagglundJonathan Laidlow; Chapter 10 Generating Regenerated Generations, SethDenbo; Chapter 11 Thinking Globally, Acting Locally, AlessaJohns;

Editorial Reviews

’'This volume of 11 essays on the theme of utopia in eighteenth-century English and French fiction will be well received in American colleges and universities where comparative literature flourishes. However, the broadening perspective offered by the collection should appeal to a much wider readership.’ French Studies

From the Publisher