During a period when writing was often the only form of self-expression for women, Her Own Life contains extracts from the autobiographical texts of twelve seventeenth-century women addressing a wide range of issues central to their lives.

About the Author
Elspeth Graham, Hilary Hinds, Elaine Hobby, Helen Wilcox

Reviews

'This fascinating collection is a valuable contribution not only to the study of autobiography, but also to wider feminist and historicist debates.' - Notes and Queries

'The texts collected in - Her Own Life are introduced by a lucid discussion of the theoretical limitations of contemporary criticism on the subject of autobiography ... The authors are particularly successful in their explanation of the political differences that divided and changed the position of women during and after the Civil War ... The anthology collects material otherwise difficult to find and offers a wide perspective over a period hardly discussed in the critical studies of women's autobiographical writing so far.'

` - Her Own Life is more than a breath of fresh air in the reception and anthologising of texts by early modern women. The editors introduce a variety of ways of thinking about the `self' in language that keeps a reader moving between contemporary ways of reading `autobiography' and seventeenth-century questions and issues which have stuctured the narratives ... The range of material introduced must make us readjust our thoughts about gender, genre and history ... A very valuable teaching text of non-canonical writing from the radical traditions of the seventeenth century.'

Book Information
ISBN 9780415017008
Author Helen Wilcox
Format Paperback
Page Count 260
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 408g