The Abridged Diaries of Charlotte Perkins Gilman

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Denise D. Knight (Editor)

One of the leading intellectuals of first-wave feminism, Charlotte Perkins Gilman [1860-1935] was a prolific socialist writer and lecturer. Nearly forgotten in the years following her death, she has been the subject of renewed interest and appreciation in recent decades. Drawing from her previous two-volume edition of The Diaries of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, editor Denise D. Knight here makes available a streamlined version of Gilman's extensive personal diaries and journals, with representative selections from various periods of her life. Included in this single volume are entries written between 1 January 1879 and 12 March 1935. These selections illustrate Gilman's development from a restless, high-spirited, and opinionated young woman to a mature, internationally-known author and lecturer whose words touched thousands as she worked to effect social change.

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935), also known as Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was a prominent American sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction, and a lecturer for social reform. She was a utopian feminist during a time when her accomplishments were exceptional for women, and she served as a role model for future generations of feminists because of her unorthodox concepts and lifestyle. Her best remembered work today is her semi-autobiographical short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper", which she wrote after a severe bout of post-partum depression.

She was the daughter of Frederic B. Perkins.

Reviews

[Jackie Shepherd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every page and am certainly going to buy my own copy. Charlotte's private journal is filled with sarcasm and witty observations, to a point which tempts me to start of Twitter feed of them.