The Gender of Freedom: Fictions of Liberalism and the Literary Public Sphere by

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In a sweeping reassessment of early American literature, The Gender of Freedom explores the workings of the literary public sphere-from its colonial emergence through the antebellum flourishing of sentimentalism-and places representations of and by women at the center rather than the margin of the public sphere and the politics of liberalism.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

In a sweeping reassessment of early American literature, The Gender of Freedom explores the workings of the literary public sphere-from its colonial emergence through the antebellum flourishing of sentimentalism. Placing representations of and by women at the center rather than the margin of the public sphere, this book links modern forms of political identity to the seemingly private images of gender displayed prominently in the developing public sphere. The "fictions of liberalism" explored in this book are those of marriage and motherhood, sentimental domesticity, and heterosexual desire-narratives that structure the private realm upon which liberalism depends for its meaning and value. In a series of bold theoretical arguments and nuanced readings of literary texts, the author explores the political force of these private narratives with chapters on the Antinomian crisis in Puritan Massachusetts, early national models of gender and marriage in the works of Charles Brockden Brown and Hannah Webster Foster, infanticide narratives and nineteenth-century accounts of motherhood in the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Lydia Maria Child, and "re-arranging" marriage in the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Back Cover

"In this highly intelligent and elegantly written book, Elizabeth Maddox Dillon makes the important observation that U.S. liberalism depends upon the concept of gender for its successful functioning and, more particularly, that women's private status has been integral to liberalism since its inception."--Legacy "Through an impressive synthesis of critical material from a wide range of disciplines and some astute readings of political theorists from Adam Smith to Jurgen Habermas, Elizabeth Maddock Dillon has produced an intriguing and largely persuasive account of the relationship between liberalism and gender difference."--William and Mary Quarterly

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In a sweeping reassessment of early American literature, The Gender of Freedom explores the workings of the literary public sphere-from its colonial emergence through the antebellum flourishing of sentimentalism. Placing representations of and by women at the center rather than the margin of the public sphere, this book links modern forms of political identity to the seemingly private images of gender displayed prominently in the developing public sphere. The "fictions of liberalism" explored in this book are those of marriage and motherhood, sentimental domesticity, and heterosexual desire-narratives that structure the private realm upon which liberalism depends for its meaning and value. In a series of bold theoretical arguments and nuanced readings of literary texts, the author explores the political force of these private narratives with chapters on the Antinomian crisis in Puritan Massachusetts, early national models of gender and marriage in the works of Charles Brockden Brown and Hannah Webster Foster, infanticide narratives and nineteenth-century accounts of motherhood in the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Lydia Maria Child, and "re-arranging" marriage in the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Maddock Dillon is Associate Professor of English at Northeastern University.

Table of Contents

Contents Introduction: The Gender of Freedom and Women in Public1 Chapter One. Gender, Liberal Theory, and the Literary Public Sphere00 Chapter Two. Puritan Bodies and Transatlantic Texts00 Chapter Three. Contracting Marriage in the New Republic000 Chapter Four. Sociality and Sentiment000 Coda. Queering Marriage: Emily Dickinson and the Poetics of Title000 Notes Works Cited000 Index Library of Congress Subject Headings for this publication: American literature Colonial period, ca, 1600-1775 History and criticism, Liberty in literature, Dickinson, Emily, 1830-1886 Criticism and interpretation, American literature 1783-1850 History and criticism, Politics and literature United States History, Women and literature United States History, Sentimentalism in literature, Liberalism in literature, Sex role in literature, Marriage in literature, Women in literature

Review

"In this highly intelligent and elegantly written book, Elizabeth Maddock Dillon makes the important observation that U.S. liberalism depends upon the concept of gender for its successful functioning and, more particularly, that women's private status has been integral to liberalism since its inception." - Legacy "Through an impressive synthesis of critical material from a wide range of disciplines and some astute readings of political theorists from Adam Smith to Jurgen Habermas, Elizabeth Maddock Dillon has produced an intriguing and largely persuasive account of the relationship between liberalism and gender difference." - William and Mary Quarterly

Long Description

In a sweeping reassessment of early American literature, The Gender of Freedom explores the workings of the literary public sphere--from its colonial emergence through the antebellum flourishing of sentimentalism. Placing representations of and by women at the center rather than the margin of the public sphere, this book links modern forms of political identity to the seemingly private images of gender displayed prominently in the developing public sphere. The "fictions of liberalism" explored in this book are those of marriage and motherhood, sentimental domesticity, and heterosexual desire--narratives that structure the private realm upon which liberalism depends for its meaning and value. In a series of bold theoretical arguments and nuanced readings of literary texts, the author explores the political force of these private narratives with chapters on the Antinomian crisis in Puritan Massachusetts, early national models of gender and marriage in the works of Charles Brockden Brown and Hannah Webster Foster, infanticide narratives and nineteenth-century accounts of motherhood in the work of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Lydia Maria Child, and "re-arranging" marriage in the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

Review Quote

"Through an impressive synthesis of critical material from a wide range of disciplines and some astute readings of political theorists from Adam Smith to J

Details ISBN0804758476 Author Elizabeth Maddock Dillon Short Title GENDER OF FREEDOM Publisher Stanford University Press Language English ISBN-10 0804758476 ISBN-13 9780804758475 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2004 Edition 1st Imprint Stanford University Press Subtitle Fictions of Liberalism and the Literary Public Sphere Place of Publication Palo Alto Country of Publication United States Illustrations black & white illustrations DOI 10.1604/9780804758475 UK Release Date 2004-04-13 AU Release Date 2004-04-13 NZ Release Date 2004-04-13 US Release Date 2004-04-13 Pages 328 Publication Date 2004-04-13 Alternative 9780804729413 DEWEY 810.9/3552 Audience Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly We've got this

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