Woman's Work in
English Fiction

From the Restoration to the
Mid-Victorian Period

By

Clara H. Whitmore, A.M.

G. P. Putnam's Sons
New York and London
The Knickerbocker Press
1910

Copyright, 1909
BY
CLARA H. WHITMORE
The Knickerbocker Press, New York

PREFACE

The writings of many of the women consideredin this volume have sunk into an oblivionfrom which their intrinsic merit should havepreserved them. This is partly due to thefact that nearly all the books on literature havebeen written from a man's stand-point. Whilein other arts the tastes of men and women varylittle, the choice of novels is to a large degreedetermined by sex. Many men who acknowledgeunhesitatingly that Jane Austen is superioras an artist to Smollett, will find more pleasurein the breezy adventures of Roderick Randomthan in the drawing-room atmosphere ofEmma; while no woman can read a novel ofSmollett's without loathing, although she mustacknowledge that the Scottish writer is a manof genius.

This book is written from a woman's viewpoint.Wherever my own judgment has beendifferent from the generally accepted one, as inthe estimate of some famous heroines, the pointin question has been submitted to other women,and not recorded unless it met with the approvalof a large number of women of cultivated taste.

This work was first undertaken at the suggestionof Dr. E. Charlton Black of Boston Universityfor a Master's thesis, and it was due to hisappreciative words that it was enlarged intobook form. I also wish to thank ProfessorKer of London University, and Dr. Henry A.Beers and Dr. Wilbur L. Cross of Yale Universityfor the help which I obtained from them while astudent in their classes. It is with the deepestsense of gratitude that I acknowledge theassistance given to me in this work by Mr.Charles Welsh, at whose suggestion the scope ofthe book was enlarged, and many parts strengthened.I wish especially to thank him forcalling my attention to The Cheap Repositoryof Hannah More, and to the literary value ofMaria Edgeworth's stories for children.

It is my only hope that this book may in asmall measure fill a want which a school-girlrecently expressed to me: "Our Club wanted tostudy about women, but we have searched thelibraries and found nothing."

C. H. W.

CONTENTS