Product Description

Here are the essential historical writings of feminism. Many of these works, long out of print or forgotten in what Miriam Schneir describes as a male-dominated literary tradition, are finally brought out of obscurity and into the light of contemporary analysis and criticism. Included are more than forty selections, coveting 150 years of writings on women's struggle for freedom -- from the American Revolution to the first decades of the twentieth century.

This updated, wide-ranging collection encompasses the crucial issues of women's oppression. A surprising degree of continuity between the ideas of the old and the new feminism is evident throughout. In her selection, Miriam Schneir has by passed writings that deal exclusively with the outdated topic of suffrage in an effort to focus attention on the still unsolved feminist problems: marriage as an instrument of oppression; woman's desire to control her own body; the economic independence of women; the search for selfhood.

This richly diverse collection contains excerpts from books, essays, speeches, documents, letters, as well as poetry, drama, and fiction. Extensive commentaries by the editor help the reader see the historical context of each selection.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49842 in Books
• Published on: 1994-06-28
• Released on: 1994-06-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780679753810
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"This anthology is part of a shelf of early second-wave feminist books that I've carried with me wherever I lived for years to help remind me of the early, exciting days of recovering past texts."

-- Adrienne Rich

Customer Reviews

This really is essential
Schneir's collection of various (proto)feminist writings is essential to understand the more familiar feminist "movement," the second wave of the 60s and 70s. Feminism did not emerge out of vacuum in the sixties; rather, it has a history of courageous women (and men) struggling for the most basic rights we take for granted today. Although the excerpts are not long, and I recommend reading the documents in full, this is an excellent introductory volume. You can read through it or skip around, but either way you come away with a knowledge and appreciation for the brave souls who came before. Check out Schneir's second volume, which deals the Second Wave, from de Beauvoir to Anita Hill.

reader from Illinois
I was quite surprised by the reality of the book. It hit me hard. I then realized that women were desperately oppressed in earlier days. I thought we had it bad now... Oh boy was I wrong. I will pass this on to my daughter-if I ever decide to have one... :)