54 pages • 1 hour read
Sandra Gilbert, Susan GubarThe Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1979A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, a foundational work in feminist literary criticism, explores the lives and works of 19th-century female writers such as Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson, emphasizing their struggles within Victorian patriarchy and themes of confinement and escape reflected in their literature. This scholarly text, rich in analysis, includes references to later writers like Virginia Woolf and integrates male voices like Sigmund Freud to enhance its discussion. Some essays address distressing themes related to women's historical oppression.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic offers a profound analysis of female literary creativity in the 19th century. Critics praise the insightful feminist perspective and thorough research, though some argue the dense academic prose can be challenging. Overall, it's considered a seminal and influential work in feminist literary criticism.
Who Should Read The Madwoman in the Attic?
A reader who delights in feminist literary criticism and the examination of women's roles in 19th-century literature would relish The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. Fans of The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan would find this work engaging.