The Irish New Woman

The Irish New Woman explores the textual and ideological connections between feminist, nationalist and anti-imperialist writing and political activism at the fin de siecle. From the 1880s on, the 'Irish Question' was a central site of struggle in British and Irish public discourse, and in this turbulent period a new generation of Irish literary writers began to resist hegemonies of a different kind, subverting gender and sexual identities and challenging prescribed roles in the family. This important new book is the first in-depth study which foregrounds the Irish and New Woman contexts, effecting a paradigm shift in the critical reception of fin de siecle writers and their work.

Tina O'Toole is Lecturer in English in the School of Language, Literature, Culture and Communication at the University of Limerick, Ireland.