The Sentinel: An Incomplete Early Novel by Rebecca West

by Kathryn Laing

This volume presents text and commentary on an unknown novel by the suffragette Rebecca West which aims to shed light on the society and culture of the period. The novel offers a panorama of English society, West covers issues ranging from contemporary concerns within the feminist movement (feminism and socialism, female desire, sexuality and motherhood) to Russian revolutionaries, popular culture and aesthetic. In this edition Laing demonstrates why this flawed work offers a historical and biographical document and an insight in to the emergence of the young Rebecca West as a fiction writer and critic on the literary scene.

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2001

Reviews

[Aaron Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a complete text, but a fascinating look at the British Suffragette movement, and some glimpses of West's early talent -- this was likely written before she was twenty!