Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen
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Description
Laughing Feminism focuses on comedy in the works of Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen, authors who scrutinized the subjected prejudices against women in order to expose their absurdity and encourage readers to laugh at the folly of sexist views. Audrey Bilger shows that these women writers employed a full arsenal of comic weapons such as satire, burlesque, and parody to combat patriarchal nonsense and make comedy out of the discrepancies between the myth and reality of womanhood. Bilger draws on current feminist criticism, comic theory, and the methodologies of literary history to provide a context for re-assessing the novels of these writers. At a time when overt feminist statements could ruin a woman's reputation, comedy enabled these authors to smuggle feminism into their writing.
Humor in Life and Letters Series.
ISBN
9780814330548
Publication Date
1998
Publisher
Wayne State University Press
City
Detroit, MI
Keywords
English fiction, 18th century, History and criticism, Feminism and literature, Great Britain, History, 19th century, Women authors, Humorous stories, Women and literature, Fanny Burney, Humor, Maria Edgeworth, Jane Austen, Social norms in literature
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | English Language and Literature | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Literature in English, British Isles
Recommended Citation
Bilger, Audrey. Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1998.
