In science's shadow : literary constructions of late Victorian women

Resource Information

The work In science's shadow : literary constructions of late Victorian women represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Missouri Libraries. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

In science's shadow : literary constructions of late Victorian women

Title remainder

literary constructions of late Victorian women

Statement of responsibility

Patricia Murphy

Creator

• Murphy, Patricia, 1951-

Contributor

• University of Missouri Press

Subject

• English literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism
• History
• Literature and science -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century
• Marginality, Social, in literature
• Prejudices in literature
• Sexism in literature
• Criticism, interpretation, etc
• Women in literature
• Women in science
• Sexism in science -- Great Britain -- History -- 19th century

Genre

• History
• Criticism, interpretation, etc

Language

eng

Summary

• "Through close analysis of noncanonical Victorian-era literature by Thomas Hardy, Wilkie Collins, Charles Reade, Constance Naden, and Marianne North, Murphy reveals how women were often marginalized, constricted, and defined as intellectually inferior as a result of the interplay of sociohistorical trends driven by scientific curiosity and the 'Woman Question'"--Provided by publisher
• "The Victorian era was characterized by great scientific curiosity{u2014}as exemplified by the publication of Darwin{u2019}s Descent of Man{u2014}as well as by new questions regarding the place of women in society. Patricia Murphy now explores the tenuous interplay of gender and science to show how the era{u2019}s literature both challenged and reinforced a constrictive role for Victorian women. Focusing on a specific body of literature involving women intensely associated with scientific pursuits, and examining selected noncanonical writings{u2014}both fictional and nonfictional representations of scientific women{u2014}Murphy demonstrates how these works informed the 2Woman Question3 by reinforcing or rejecting presumed truths about gender and science. Some of these texts offer lucid insights into the ways in which women were defined, marginalized, and excluded. In his novel Two on a Tower, Thomas Hardy presented science as a masculine realm threatened by female intrusion, while Wilkie Collins in Heart and Science depicted a woman interested in science as a villainous schemer who falls far short of the Victorian ideal of femininity. And although Charles Reade{u2019}s novel A Woman-Hater was more sympathetic in its portrayal of a female physician, it continued to reinforce Victorian stereotypes. In contrast, Murphy also shows us the poetry of science enthusiast Constance Naden, who used the language of the discipline to reflect its marginalization of women. Murphy also uses the travel memoirs of botanical painter Marianne North, which reveal her attempts to achieve a gender-neutral voice to position her work within the Victorian scientific realm. Through the words of these women, Murphy shows how popular notions of women{u2019}s inferiority and marginality were internalized and addressed. These close readings further elucidate the status of women in late-nineteenth-century England and show how prejudices about women{u2019}s intellectual inferiority infiltrated popular culture. In Science{u2019}s Shadow makes new inroads in the study of gendered scientific discourse while introducing readers to some little-known, but most revealing, literary works."--Publishers website

Cataloging source

DLC

Dewey number

820.9/356

Government publication

government publication of a state province territory dependency etc

Index

index present

LC call number

PR468.S34

LC item number

M87 2006

Literary form

non fiction

Nature of contents

bibliography