1st Edition

British Women Writers 1914-1945 Professional Work and Friendship

By Catherine Clay Copyright 2006
194 Pages
by Routledge

194 Pages
by Routledge

Catherine Clay's persuasively argued and rigorously documented study examines women's friendships during the period between the two world wars. Building on extensive new archival research, the book's organizing principle is a series of literary-historical case-studies that explore the practices, meanings and effects of friendship within a network of British women writers, who were all loosely... Read more
Contents: Introduction: biographies of friendship; Women's friendship in inter-war Britain; Vera Brittain and Winifred Holtby: a 'trade in work and desire'; Winifred Holtby and Lady Rhondda: a romance of business; Vera Brittain and Storm Jameson: 'a passionate beckoning'; Stella Benson and Laura Hutton: representing the lesbian body; Stella Benson, Naomi Mitchison and Winifred Holtby: a triadic model of friendship and desire; Conclusion; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Biography

Clay, Catherine

'... very accomplished study... Grounded in solid archival research and delving into a wealth of previously unpublished letters and diaries, it offers valuable insights... fluent and information-packed volume...' Women: a cultural review 'British Women Writers 1914-1945 presents a dynamic portrait [...] through impressive research and insightful arguments.' Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature ’Catherine Clay's book adds to this body of work, offering valuable insight into the general conditions of literary production and the importance of the creation of a literary community in forming and sustaining a literary career between 1914 and 1945... [Clay] conveys much of the character, complexity, and meaning of the women and the period in which they lived. The value of work such as this lies not only in providing the reader and researcher with additional insights into the working lives of these particular writers in a particular place and time, but perhaps also in the inspiration it provides to those of us concerned with more contemporary critical studies in this sphere.’ SHARP