The Autobiographical Subject: Gender and Ideology in Eighteenth-Century England

by Felicity A. Nussbaum

Overview

Co-recipient of the Louis Gottschalk Prize from the American Association for Eighteenth Century Studies

"An exemplary model of political criticism." -Eighteenth-Century Fiction

"The Autobiographical Subject is rich and richly rewarding for scholars of the eighteenth century. It deserves to be read by everyone who thinks about autobiographical practice." -Sidonie Smith, a/b: Auto/Biography Studies

"Acutely analyzes the construction of gendered character in canonical British autobiographical texts and provides provocative explorations outside the canon, particularly among first-person narratives by women." -Diacritics

"The Autobiographical Subject, with its combination of provocative theory and sound scholarship, deserves a wide readership. Felicity Nussbaum's insights demand the attention of eighteenth-century scholars, feminist critics, and cultural historians, while the central questions raised by the book—how to define the 'self'? why write, why revise, and especially, why publish an autobiography?—are of interest to everyone." -Review of English Studies

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801852374
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	10/01/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.66(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Felicity A. Nussbaum is a professor of English at the University of California-Los Angeles, the author of The Limits of the Human (2003), Torrid Zones (1995), and the editor of The Autobiographical Subject (1995), the latter two available from Johns Hopkins.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Ideology of Gene
Chapter 2. The Politics of Subjectivity
Chapter 3. Dissenting Subjects: Bunyan's Grace Abounding
Chapter 4. Methodized Subjects: Johns Wesley's Journals
Chapter 5. Manly Subjects: Boswell's Journals and The Life of Johnson
Chapter 6. The Gender of Character
Chapter 7. "Of Woman's Seed": Women's Spiritual Autobiograohies
Chapter 8. Heteroclites: The Scandalous Memoirs
Chapter 9. Managing Women: Thrale's "Family Book" and Thraliana
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

Acutely analyzes the construction of gendered character in canonical British autobiographical texts and provides provocative explorations outside the canon, particularly among first-person narratives by women.
—Diacritics

[Nussbaum's] achievement . . . is profound. The theoretical framework is clear and consistent, the range of historical specificity broad and convincing, the analysis of specific texts sophisticated and compelling, the prose straightforward and free of obfuscating jargon. The Autobiographical Subject is rich and richly rewarding for scholars of the eighteenth century. It deserves to be read by everyone who thinks about autobiographical practice.
—Sidonie Smith, a/b: Auto/Biography Studies

Felicity Nussbaum considers the convergence of genre, gender, and class in an important reassessment of autobiographical writing in England from John Bunyan to Hester Thrale. The Autobiographical Subject, with its combination of provocative theory and sound scholarship, deserves a wide readership. Felicity Nussbaum's insights demand the attention of eighteenth-century scholars, feminist critics, and cultural historians, while the central questions raised by the book—how to define the 'self'? why write, why revise, and especially, why publish an autobiography?—are of interest to everyone.
—Fiona Stafford, Review of English Studies

An exemplary model of political criticism.
—Eighteenth-Century Fiction

In The Autobiographical Subject Felicity Nussbaum sees autobiography as the point of convergence of a set of phenomena linking class, genre and gender in the eighteenth century; and traces the new possibilities of definition of a middle-class self, and assertion of female identity in print, within the form . . . The volume makes an important contribution to feminist discussion of the period.
—The Year's Work in English Studies

In The Autobiographical Subject Felicity Nussbaum sees autobiography as the point of convergence of a set of phenomena linking class, genre and gender in the eighteenth century; and traces the new possibilities of definition of a middle-class self, and assertion of female identity in print, within the form . . . The volume makes an important contribution to feminist discussion of the period.
—The Year's Work in English Studies

From the Publisher

An exemplary model of political criticism.

Eighteenth-Century Fiction

In The Autobiographical Subject Felicity Nussbaum sees autobiography as the point of convergence of a set of phenomena linking class, genre and gender in the eighteenth century; and traces the new possibilities of definition of a middle-class self, and assertion of female identity in print, within the form . . . The volume makes an important contribution to feminist discussion of the period.

The Year's Work in English Studies

Felicity Nussbaum considers the convergence of genre, gender, and class in an important reassessment of autobiographical writing in England from John Bunyan to Hester Thrale. The Autobiographical Subject, with its combination of provocative theory and sound scholarship, deserves a wide readership. Felicity Nussbaum's insights demand the attention of eighteenth-century scholars, feminist critics, and cultural historians, while the central questions raised by the book—how to define the 'self'? why write, why revise, and especially, why publish an autobiography?—are of interest to everyone.

Review of English Studies - Fiona Stafford

[Nussbaum's] achievement . . . is profound. The theoretical framework is clear and consistent, the range of historical specificity broad and convincing, the analysis of specific texts sophisticated and compelling, the prose straightforward and free of obfuscating jargon. The Autobiographical Subject is rich and richly rewarding for scholars of the eighteenth century. It deserves to be read by everyone who thinks about autobiographical practice.

a/b: Auto/Biography Studies - Sidonie Smith

Acutely analyzes the construction of gendered character in canonical British autobiographical texts and provides provocative explorations outside the canon, particularly among first-person narratives by women.

Diacritics

[Nussbaum's] achievement... is profound. The theoretical framework is clear and consistent, the range of historical specificity broad and convincing, the analysis of specific texts sophisticated and compelling, the prose straightforward and free of obfuscating jargon. The Autobiographical Subject is rich and richly rewarding for scholars of the eighteenth century. It deserves to be read by everyone who thinks about autobiographical practice.

— Sidonie Smith

a/b: Auto/Biography Studies

"[Nussbaum's] achievement... is profound. The theoretical framework is clear and consistent, the range of historical specificity broad and convincing, the analysis of specific texts sophisticated and compelling, the prose straightforward and free of obfuscating jargon. The Autobiographical Subject is rich and richly rewarding for scholars of the eighteenth century. It deserves to be read by everyone who thinks about autobiographical practice."

a/b: Auto/Biography Studies - Sidonie Smith