Gender and the Fictions of the Public Sphere - read online free - 1690-1755

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Violet

A study of feminist and counter-feminist writing in eighteenth-century England, examining how gender shaped and contested the “public sphere” from 1690 to 1755. Organized into models and countermodels of English public discourse and a section on Tory feminism and the gendered reader, it analyzes key writers, periodicals, satire, and literary journalism. The book includes references and index, and offers critical historical and literary interpretation focused on women’s authorship and anti-feminist responses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages241

Reading Time10 h 7 min

AccessFree to download

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I - Models and Countermodels of English Public Discourse, 1690–1714

1 Learned Oracles, Muck-Spattered Spies, and Academic Activists: The Politics of English Publicness, 1690–1714

2 Neutering Addison and Steele: Aesthetic Failure and the Spectatorial Public Sphere

3 Gender, Ridicule, and the Satire of Liberal Reform: “Manley,” Mandeville, and the Female Tatler

PART II - Tory Feminism and the Gendered Reader, Astell to Haywood

4 Astell, Whig Publicness, and the Problem of Female Specularity

5 Voyeurism, Feminist Impartiality, and Cultural Authority: Haywood and the Addisonian Periodical

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Gender and the Fictions of the Public Sphere, 1690–1755 Routledge Studies in Eighteenth-Century Literature 1. The Epistolary Novel Representations of Consciousness Joe Bray 2. Slavery and Augustan Literature Swift, Pope, Gay John Richardson 3. The Rise of Literary Journalism in the Eighteenth Century Anxious Employment Iona Italia 4. Gender and the Fictions of the Public Sphere, 1690–1755 Anthony Pollock Gender and the Fictions of the Public Sphere, 1690–1755 Anthony Pollock New York London First published 2009 by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of [thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk](thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk).” © 2009 Taylor & Francis All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Pollock, Anthony, 1968– Gender and the fictions of the public sphere, 1690-1755 / by Anthony Pollock. [p. cm](p. cm).—(Routledge studies in eighteenth-century literature) A study of feminist and counter-feminist writing in the eighteenth century. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Feminism in literature. 2. English literature—18th century—History and criticism. 3. English literature—Women authors—History and criticism. 4. English literature—Male authors—History and criticism. 5. Anti-feminism—Great Britain—History—18th century 6. Feminism and literature—Great Britain—History—18th century. I. Title. PR448 .F45P66 2009 820.9'352209033—dc22 2008010905 ISBN 0-203-89108-2 Master e-book ISBN ISBN10: 0-415-99004-1 (hbk) ISBN10: 0-203-89108-2 (ebk) ISBN13: 978-0-415-99004-2 ISBN13: 978-0-203-89108-7 Contents Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 PART I Models and Countermodels of English Public Discourse, 1690–1714 1 Learned Oracles, Muck-Spattered Spies, and Academic Activists: The Politics of English Publicness, 1690–1714 19 2 Neutering Addison and Steele: Aesthetic Failure and the Spectatorial Public Sphere 55 3 Gender, Ridicule, and the Satire of Liberal Reform: “Manley,” Mandeville, and the Female Tatler 75 PART II Tory Feminism and the Gendered Reader, Astell to Haywood 4 Astell, Whig Publicness, and the Problem of Female Specularity 117 5 Voyeurism, Feminist Impartiality, and Cultural Authority: Haywood and the Addisonian Periodical 147 Notes 185 Bibliography 217 Index 225 Acknowledgments A project of this kind inevitably beneﬁts from more individual investments than can possibly be taken note of in a brief section of thanks, so this list is a necessarily incomplete accounting of its author’s many debts. In the earliest stages of conceptualization, some of the central ideas behind this book were shaped by the generous and incisive commentary of my graduate advisors and fellow graduate students in eighteenth-century studies at Cornell University, among whom I would single out for particular thanks David Alvarez, Anne Berger, Bonnie Blackwell, Rick Bogel, Cynthia Chase, Jonathan Culler, Jody Greene, Jen Hill, Peter Hohendahl, Donal McQuillan, Harry Shaw, and most especially Neil Saccamano, who has remained a model of interpretive acuity and intellectual vig

FAQs

What is the book’s main subject?

The book studies feminist and counter-feminist writing in the eighteenth century, focusing on how gender relates to the public sphere.

How is the book structured?

It is divided into two parts: models and countermodels of English public discourse (1690–1714), and Tory feminism and the gendered reader (Astell to Haywood).

Which kinds of literary media are analyzed?

The contents highlight epistolary fiction contexts, satire, periodicals, and the rise of literary journalism, linking these forms to gendered arguments about cultural authority and publicness.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Violet