Title
Uneven Developments: The Ideological Work of Gender in MidVictorian England (Women in Culture and Society),Used
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Mary Poovey's The Proper Lady and the Woman Writer has become a standard text in feminist literary discourse. In Uneven Developments Poovey turns to broader historical concerns in an analysis of how notions of gender shape ideology.Asserting that the organization of sexual difference is a social, not natural, phenomenon, Poovey shows how representations of gender took the form of a binary opposition in midVictorian culture. She then reveals the role of this opposition in various discourses and institutionsmedical, legal, moral, and literary. The resulting oppositions, partly because they depended on the subordination of one term to another, were always unstable. Poovey contends that this instability helps explain why various institutional versions of binary logic developed unevenly. This unevenness, in turn, helped to account for the emergence in the 1850s of a genuine oppositional voice: the voice of an organized, politicized feminist movement.Drawing on a wide range of sourcesparliamentary debates, novels, medical lectures, feminist analyses of work, middleclass periodicals on demesticityPoovey examines various controversies that provide glimpses of the ways in which representations of gender were simultaneously constructed, deployed, and contested. These include debates about the use of chloroform in childbirth, the first divorce law, the professional status of writers, the plight of governesses, and the nature of the nursing corps. Uneven Developments is a contribution to the feminist analysis of culture and ideology that challenges the isolation of literary texts from other kinds of writing and the isolation of women's issues from economic and political histories.
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- Q: What is the main focus of 'Uneven Developments' by Mary Poovey? A: 'Uneven Developments' analyzes how notions of gender shape ideology in mid-Victorian England, asserting that the organization of sexual difference is a social construct.
- Q: How does Mary Poovey approach the topic of gender in this book? A: Poovey examines various discourses and institutions, including medical, legal, and literary, to show how representations of gender were constructed and contested during that period.
- Q: What types of sources does Poovey use in her analysis? A: She draws on a wide range of sources such as parliamentary debates, novels, medical lectures, and periodicals to illustrate her points.
- Q: What is the significance of binary opposition in the book? A: The book reveals how binary opposition in gender representation was unstable and contributed to the uneven development of institutional versions of gender logic.
- Q: Is this book considered a standard text in feminist literary discourse? A: Yes, 'Uneven Developments' is recognized as a significant contribution to feminist analysis and is often referenced in literary studies.
- Q: What historical context does the book address? A: The book focuses on mid-Victorian England and explores the emergence of a politicized feminist movement during the 1850s.
- Q: How many pages does 'Uneven Developments' have? A: 'Uneven Developments' consists of 289 pages.
- Q: What is the binding type of this book? A: 'Uneven Developments' is available in paperback binding.
- Q: Who is the author of 'Uneven Developments'? A: The book is authored by Mary Poovey.
- Q: When was 'Uneven Developments' published? A: 'Uneven Developments' was published on December 15, 1988.