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215th out of 251 books
—
88 voters
A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx
A Jury of Her Peers is an unprecedented literary landmark: the first comprehensive history of American women writers from 1650 to 2000.
In a narrative of immense scope and fascination—brimming with Elaine Showalter’s characteristic wit and incisive opinions—we are introduced to more than 250 female writers. These include not only famous and expected names (Harriet Beecher S...more
In a narrative of immense scope and fascination—brimming with Elaine Showalter’s characteristic wit and incisive opinions—we are introduced to more than 250 female writers. These include not only famous and expected names (Harriet Beecher S...more
Hardcover, 512 pages
Published
February 24th 2009
by Knopf
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May 18, 2009
Jessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
americans; women; writers; readers or potential readers of american women writers; thirty-year-olds
Recommended to Jessica by:
dan redican, via salon article link
Shelves:
chicklits
This is a really great book. Elaine Showalter claims to have written the first comprehensive overview of American women writers, and as I love and trust Dr. Showalter, I have no reason at all not to believe her.
First of all: Elaine Showalter is married. To a man. Yes, yes, I was disappointed too, but if we can't sweep her off her feet and spirit her away to live in our castle, at least we might enjoy her engaging critical history of important lady authors from the Pilgrims' day until now! Dry yo...more
First of all: Elaine Showalter is married. To a man. Yes, yes, I was disappointed too, but if we can't sweep her off her feet and spirit her away to live in our castle, at least we might enjoy her engaging critical history of important lady authors from the Pilgrims' day until now! Dry yo...more
SOMETIMES A PEN IS JUST A PEN
Jennifer Cognard-Black
Review of A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx
By Elaine Showalter
Knopf
Authors breed books. Like mothers, they grow and nurture their creations. Yet the word author is derived from the Latin auctor and actually means a male begetter, or father. As authors Sarah Gilbert and Susan Gubar famously claimed in their 1979 book Madwoman in the Attic, a study of Victorian women writers, a “pen is in some sense…...more
Jennifer Cognard-Black
Review of A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx
By Elaine Showalter
Knopf
Authors breed books. Like mothers, they grow and nurture their creations. Yet the word author is derived from the Latin auctor and actually means a male begetter, or father. As authors Sarah Gilbert and Susan Gubar famously claimed in their 1979 book Madwoman in the Attic, a study of Victorian women writers, a “pen is in some sense…...more
This was a very readable discussion of American women's writing from the beginning through the '70s. I really loved most of it, although it helped that I was on an early American women's writing kick just a couple of years ago. Starting around the 1840s, the book generally covers the subject decade by decade, sometimes pegging writers into the most fitting decade and sometimes (more as the book goes on) revisiting them later. There's a good analysis of the writers (up until the middle of the 20t...more
It is hard to review a book that really is only a literary history of women in American Literature. All I will say is, I learned a lot. I did find some of the sections that were used to create a history too long. And some of the authors that were focused on, are forgotten for a reason. But I did get introducted to a number of terms and time periods of American Lit. I was not aware of.
My biggest issue was with the moder women. I am a huge fan of a lot of them - Toni Morrison being one of my favor...more
My biggest issue was with the moder women. I am a huge fan of a lot of them - Toni Morrison being one of my favor...more
Fascinating interview with the Economist on their podcast on this, and remarkable that this is the first literary history of women writers.
After reading: Engaging history of American women's writing, came away with a new perspective on the challenges posed by the endeavor over time and a list of authors that I need to read. Reviewers have criticized Showalter for a. being overly harsh re: Gertrude Stein and b. not expressing as much enthusiasm for the later writers. I can't speak to a, but I thi...more
After reading: Engaging history of American women's writing, came away with a new perspective on the challenges posed by the endeavor over time and a list of authors that I need to read. Reviewers have criticized Showalter for a. being overly harsh re: Gertrude Stein and b. not expressing as much enthusiasm for the later writers. I can't speak to a, but I thi...more
A Jury of Her Peers is a comprehensive look at the history of American women writers from the founding of America to the modern times. It examines women writers and gives a thorough study of each writer but Elaine Showalter never overdoes it. She seems to know that line between not enough information and too much information. The book is basically a textbook but it makes very good reading. I love reading about the history of women and the marks that women have made on history. The stories of ama...more
I've come to the conclusion that some books try to render a history of a subject but only render a survey. There is great breadth, but not enough depth here. Showalter is such a noted critic that I expected more. She is obviously very knowledgeable and well read, but in an effort to write something about just about every woman who wrote, from Bradstreet to Proulx, she really does a "gallop" through the ages. And her handling of 20th-century authors by decade instead of by authors' oeuvres is esp...more
My response to this book is complicated. I think it does important work; no book like this has ever been compiled. However, it makes me wonder what, exactly, we're counting on a "literary history" to do. I may find bits (small bits) of this text useful in pointing me toward previously unfamiliar authors whose work might prove fruitful for my dissertation; beyond that, however, I question its usefulness and, more importantly, the effect it has on the body of American women writers that it treats....more
I did it! I finished the whole tome last night.
This book was published in 2009 and it's the first anthology of American women writers. Just saying.
Having attended an all-girls high school that did a fair job of highlighting the contributions of women in various subjects, and having obtained a Women's Studies certificate in college, I didn't think that so much in this book would be new to me. Oh, it was - and I gained a huge to-read list of women writers that I've been plowing through since.
I'd n...more
This book was published in 2009 and it's the first anthology of American women writers. Just saying.
Having attended an all-girls high school that did a fair job of highlighting the contributions of women in various subjects, and having obtained a Women's Studies certificate in college, I didn't think that so much in this book would be new to me. Oh, it was - and I gained a huge to-read list of women writers that I've been plowing through since.
I'd n...more
One of the more comprehensive books of its kind. I have a more mixed reaction to it than the 4 stars indicates but I think it's an important work and well worth reading. On the plus side, Showalter introduces readers to women writers that I for one have never run across before. There are short biographies and descriptions of their work, which are also useful. The book design is also quite outstanding, and it supports Showalter's style so well that reading this book is a pleasure, despite its siz...more
Don't be intimidated by it's size: it's very readable and Showalter is engagingly opinionated. I am completely inspired to return to novel-reading--and it was a fantastic reminder of all the books I actually have read (versus thinking about all the books I haven't . . . . ). Not enough discussion of women poets--and not a book of literary criticism--and it is making a canon--but I recommend it.
**Important: she is really really wrong about Gertrude Stein.
**Important: she is really really wrong about Gertrude Stein.
Showalter is brilliant, as ever, at putting her finger on just the right question. She leaves some people out and is a bit thin on her thesis that the experience of being a woman writer now is fine (when it's not) and that literary criticism accepts women writers equally with men (when it doesn't) - but she writes so well, so compellingly that I accept all she says anyway.
I picked this up more out of duty to expand my education on the history of women writers than anything else, but ended up really enjoying it. It's academic - thoroughly researched, analytical, comparative - but it's also got spark and heart. This is no dry creaky tome, and was highly readable - all 512 pages of it. Recommended.
Great book! It’s fun both for reference, and as a straight read-through. I didn’t agree with Showalter’s opinions all the time – she’s tough on Gertrude Stein – but mostly she’s generous and respectful towards her subjects. I enjoyed this book too much to make lists, so I have to go back and read it again.
I'm about half way through this book and I'm finding it slow going. Showalter discusses so many women that she doesn't talk about any in depth. Still, there is a lot to interest me and I'm determined to get into the 20th century.
I have finished Showalter's A Jury of Her Peers, and found it ambitious and readable. It is heavily footnoted, but I just trusted in the footnotes and didn't read most of them. She discusses the roadblocks in the success of women's writing, which included poverty, ambiva...more
I have finished Showalter's A Jury of Her Peers, and found it ambitious and readable. It is heavily footnoted, but I just trusted in the footnotes and didn't read most of them. She discusses the roadblocks in the success of women's writing, which included poverty, ambiva...more
Only read about 300 pages of this as there were a bunch of holds on it, but it is a great collection of amazing stories of women trying to create and find a place for themselves in this world. More about the writers' lives than the works themselves. QUIBBLE: Where the F is Jane Bowles? I think her story would have added a lot to the 40's chapter.
Okay, wow. Not that I don't have issues (where's Octavia Butler?), but this book is still amazing. It's something that hasn't been done before, and now it exists, and we can all point out our issues with it and have these super important conversations about canon. Awesome, important work. I read Maud Martha (AWESOME) after hearing Showalter do a reading and discussion to promote this book, so she's already improved my life.
This one gets easier to read as you get closer to the present - I think it's because the authors are actually recognizable (Morrison, Plath, Jackson, Rich, etc) as opposed to so many of the pre-twentieth century authors (Fanny Fern?). I do appreciate the research and work Showalter went to in finding overarching themes in women's writing at different time periods. The road to acceptance has not been smooth.
I still think longer/any excerpts of the authors' work should have been included. Copyrigh...more
I still think longer/any excerpts of the authors' work should have been included. Copyrigh...more
This volume is an odd mix. Showalter gives detailed plot summaries and analyses of some authors' work while others are only represented by biographical details and the titles of their publications. I guess in this way Showalter replicates questions about the role of gender in art (i.e. how much does an artist's personal life matter in comparison to what she produces? should one look at a poem or novel aesthetically and/or contextually?) The form of the book directly relates to its subject and mi...more
Mar 01, 2010
Erin Ellithorpe
added it
i have yet to read this book but i was just looking for more Dorthy Parker stuff and this one came up....i think it looks interesting and ill have to look into it. hooray for female writers :)
Mar 14, 2009
Linda
is currently reading it
I need to keep a running list of the titles to read as she doesn't really list them. Good writing and criticism. So far, I'm unfamiliar with much of what she's reviewing which is a pleasant change.
Apr 18, 2009
Jenni Pertuset
marked it as to-read
why: I recall reading some Showalter in connection with my work on Dinesen. I'm interested in what she has to say about women writers. Bonus points for using the title of my favorite short story.
I wish this had been out when I was tasked with teaching women's lit! It's a great run-down of notable women writers --perfect for syllabus-building. But it is a little strange to be reading a book that really just describes other books --a terrific way to discover authors, but I found myself wishing that Showalter had done more analysis or offered more insights, even though I know that wasn't her project.
Elaine Showalter surveys American literature written by women. Very readable and interesting from beginning to end.
This is massive and comprehensive. If I didn't have adult duties that had nothing whatsoever to do with this topic, I'd plow through this book, seek out people to discuss it with.
Jul 14, 2009
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Got this from the library. Am currently picking it up occasionally flipping through it, reading a couple of pages and then going back to it later. It's a huge book and I won't finish it before it's due, but I'll learn some things about some authors from it.
I found it hard to believe that a comprehensive criticism of American women's writing didn't exist until now. All of the courses I took in school gave me small sketches into the role of women in the literary narrative of our country, but this very readable book gave me a more complete picture. Obviously, there are many important writers left out. I could name many in this review. But overall, Showalter created a very interesting portrait. I really appreciated her approach-short biographies and c...more
Showalter does a great job of placing each writer in her point in history, while also talking about the individual style, strengths, and weaknesses of her writing. She writes about the major themes of each era while making sure to include women who stood outside of those themes. By the end, you not only have a great sense of how women's writing has changed over time, but also a clear picture of how women's writing and the culture and politics of the day impacted each other.
Best of all, you learn...more
Best of all, you learn...more
Mar 31, 2009
April
marked it as to-read
from Culture Gabfest
May 13, 2012
Alice
is currently reading it
My Mother's day gift!
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Elaine Showalter (born 21 January 1941) is an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues. She is one of the founders of feminist literary criticism in United States academia, developing the concept and practice of gynocritics.
She is well known and respected in both academic and popular cultural fields. She has written and edited numerous books and articles focusse...more
More about Elaine Showalter...
She is well known and respected in both academic and popular cultural fields. She has written and edited numerous books and articles focusse...more
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"Now women can write about whatever they want, and there's no more oppression and everyone loves them, because men don't read anym...more
May 20, 2009 12:53am
updated May 20, 2009 01:05am