Memoirs of Emma Courtney

by Mary Hays, Eleanor Ty

Overview

First published in the turbulent decade following the French Revolution, Memoirs of Emma Courtney is based on Mary Hays' own passionate struggle with romance and Enlightenment philosophy. A feminist and ardent disciple of Mary Wollstonecraft, Hays reveals the lamentable gap between 'what women are' and 'what woment ought to be'.

The novel is one of the most articulate and detailed expressions of the yearnings and frustrations of a woman living in late eighteenth-century English society. It questions marital arrangements and courtship rituals by depicting a woman who actively pursues the man she loves. The novel explores the links between sexuality, desire, and economic and social freedom, suggesting the need for improvement in the laws of society which 'have enslaved, enervated, and degraded woman'.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199555406
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/26/2009
Series:	Oxford World's Classics Series
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Eleanor Ty is Assistant Professor of English at Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Mary Hays: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text

Memoirs of Emma Courtney

Appendix A: Selections from the Mary Hays and William Godwin Correspondence

Appendix B: Selected Letters of William Frend

Appendix C: Articles by Hays in the Monthly Magazine

Appendix D: Reviews of Memoirs of Emma Courtney

Appendix E:

1. On Sensibility
2. On Melancholy

Appendix F: The Anti-Jacobin Backlash

Appendix G: Mary Wollstonecraft to Mary Hays

Appendix H: Obituary of Mary Wollstonecraft

Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Marilyn Brooks’ excellent edition of Emma Courtney situates Hays’ first novel philosophically, in relation to Godwin and Wollstonecraft; biographically, in relation to Hays’ tormented love affairs; and with regard to the literary ferment expressed in the Jacobin novel. Brooks also provides essential, and in some cases rare background material in the several appendices. The result is that this wonderful formerly obscure novel now yields the intellectual excitement and scandalous frisson that it generated upon publication.” — Sandra Sherman, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

From the Publisher