Feminist revisionist study of major female 19th Century authors: Jane Austin, Mary Shelley, Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, George Elliot, and Emily Dickinson. A genuinely major work of literary criticism, in my opinion: these are crucial interpretations of the works of a group of writers who, in their time, stood as "outsiders" to the literary mainstream. Gilbert and Gubar provide us with a roadmap towards understanding the methods by which they critiqued, revised, and survived the male-dominated culture in which they lived. For those who like delving deep into literature, for those who enjoy pithy literary criticism, this comes highly recommended. For those who feel themselves to be "outsiders" to the mainstream of today, this book may well be revelatory. I know it was for me.

One of those books from graduate school I could never bear to part with. The essays are only slightly dated 15 years later and this is an excellent reference work for those interested in the literature of the 19th Century. ( )