An Ethic of Innocence

Kristen L. Renzi

ISBN 10: 1438475969 / ISBN 13: 9781438475967

Edité par State University of New York Press, US, 2020

A propos de cet article

Offers a feminist theory of ignorance that sheds light on the misunderstood or overlooked epistemic practices of women in literature.An Ethic of Innocence examines representations of women in American and British fin-de-siècle and modern literature who seem "not to know" things. These naïve fools, Pollyannaish dupes, obedient traditionalists, or regressive anti-feminists have been dismissed by critics as conservative, backward, and out of sync with, even threatening to, modern feminist goals. Grounded in the late nineteenth century's changing political and generic representations of women, this book provides a novel interpretative framework for reconsidering the epistemic claims of these women. Kristen L. Renzi analyzes characters from works by Henry James, Frank Norris, Ann Petry, Rebecca West, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, and others, to argue that these feminine figures who choose not to know actually represent and model crucial pragmatic strategies by which modern and contemporary subjects navigate, survive, and even oppose gender oppression.

N° de réf. du vendeur LU-9781438475967

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: An Ethic of Innocence
• Éditeur: State University of New York Press, US
• Date de parution: 2020
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 1438475969
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9781438475967
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: New
• Poids: 408 grammes

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

Offers a feminist theory of ignorance that sheds light on the misunderstood or overlooked epistemic practices of women in literature.

An Ethic of Innocence examines representations of women in American and British fin-de-siècle and modern literature who seem "not to know" things. These naïve fools, Pollyannaish dupes, obedient traditionalists, or regressive anti-feminists have been dismissed by critics as conservative, backward, and out of sync with, even threatening to, modern feminist goals. Grounded in the late nineteenth century's changing political and generic representations of women, this book provides a novel interpretative framework for reconsidering the epistemic claims of these women. Kristen L. Renzi analyzes characters from works by Henry James, Frank Norris, Ann Petry, Rebecca West, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, and others, to argue that these feminine figures who choose not to know actually represent and model crucial pragmatic strategies by which modern and contemporary subjects navigate, survive, and even oppose gender oppression.

À propos de l'auteur

Kristen L. Renzi is Associate Professor of English at Xavier University.