This is the first book-length history of the classic French children's author, the comtesse de Segur. Virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, in France Segur is a national icon and a cultural phenomenon.

Generations of children have grown up reading her stories. This book combines a discussion of her life, her works, and their reception with a broader analysis of the cultural context of the mid-nineteenth century. It offers a unique insight into the political engagement of Catholic women through the medium of children's literature and education, and brings out new aspects of the history of publishing aimed at children, with particular reference to the market for books for girls.

With its lively subject matter and accessible style, this book will appeal not only to scholars of nineteenth-century France, but also to specialists and students interested in the fields of children's literature, gender studies, and religious history.

About the Author
Sophie Heywood is Lecturer in French at the University of Reading.

Reviews

A masterful essay...it will be impossible to claim knowledge of the comtesse de Segur if you have not read Sophie Heywood's book

Remi Saudray, review in Cahiers Seguriens, 10 (2012) pp. 161-167.

Heywood has made Segur a figure of considerable interest to historians, not just biographers or literary scholars.

Sarah A. Curtis, French History, 2012

Winner of the 2012 University of Reading Research Endowment Trust Fund Best Research Output Prize

The strength of this informative and insightful book is its ability to contextualize the life story and the writings of the comtesse de Segur without losing sight of the complexities that both present. Neither Segur's life nor her writings were always consistent, yet in showing how they intersected with new ideas about childhood, a militant Catholic revival, new publishing strategies, and shifting notions of gender, Heywood hasmade Segur a figure of considerable interest to historians, not just biographers or literary scholars.
Sarah A. Curtis, French History, vol 26, no 4, December 2012

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Awards
Winner of Research Endowment Trust Fund Best Research Output Prize 2012 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780719084669
Author Sophie Heywood
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publisher Manchester University Press
Weight(grams) 449g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 138mm * 17mm