Memoirs of Emma Courtney

First published in the turbulent decade following the French Revolution, Memoirs of Emma Courtney is based on Mary Hays' own passionate struggle with romance and Enlightenment philosophy. A feminist and ardent disciple of Mary Wollstonecraft, Hays reveals the lamentable gap between `what women are' and `what woment ought to be'. The novel is one of the most articulate and detailed expressions of the yearnings and frustrations of a woman living in late eighteenth-century English society. It questions marital arrangements and courtship rituals by depicting a woman who actively pursues the man she loves. The novel explores the links between sexuality, desire, and economic and social freedom, suggesting the need for improvement in the laws of society which `have enslaved, enervated, and degraded woman'. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Product details

• Authors: Mary Hays, Hays Mary
• Assisted by: Eleanor Ty (Editor), Ty Eleanor (Editor)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press Trade
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 01.05.2009
• EAN: 9780199555406
• ISBN: 978-0-19-955540-6
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 197 mm x 12 mm
• Series: World's classics; WORLD'S CLASSIC; Oxford World's Classics; WORLD'S CLASSIC; World's classics
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Romance, English, FICTION / Classics, Classic fiction (pre c 1945), 18th century, c 1700 to c 1799, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, C 1700 To C 1800, Classic fiction: general and literary