Women of Ideas series – serie

Adrienne Rich is a major American poet who continues to be inspired by the political ideas and activism of various liberation movements of the twentieth century. Whether expressed in poetry or in prose, her ideas have been much debated, particularly within second wave feminism.

This unique introduction focuses on Rich's prose work but also makes reference to the poetry where her political ideas and urgencies often find their first expression. Demonstrating the compexity and subtlety of her contribution to feminism, the book outlines her wide-ranging thoughts on, for example, motherhood, heterosexuality, lesbian and Jewish identity, and issues of racial and sexual otherness. Liz Yorke conveys the range and importance of Rich's achievements and highlights the major themes which are interwoven in her work.

Long before postmodern or deconstructionist ideas became current, Simone Weil was concerned with recognizing the absence of consistency and the continual presence of reversals and contradictions in life. She was someone for whom the task of clarifying her perceptions of reality and meaning was an ongoing one. She challenged contemporary views on such complex issues as human nature, good and evil, divinity and truth. Weil's work offers a voice for those segments of society that are generally under-represented, misrepresented or totally silent in conventional historical and philosophical writings.

In this introduction to Simone Weil's ideas, and the political and intellectual circumstances of her work, the authors make Weil's complex and at times elusive ideas accessible to readers. They delineate how her ideas evolved, and provide compelling excerpts from her writings to let her speak for herself. In addition, the authors provide their own interpretation of Weil's work.

Simone de Beauvoir continues to dominate twentieth century feminist theory, yet her work is the focus of inflamed debate amongst theorists of feminism.

This accessible introduction to de Beauvoir's life and ideas considers the themes and tensions which inform her work. Mary Evans shows how de Beauvoir's writings resist simplistic interpretations and cannot be reduced to simple oppositions between masculine and feminine, rational and irrational, or social and natural. Highlighting the autobiographical aspects in de Beauvoir's work, Evans presents a new and important analysis of the complex relationship between fact, fiction and autobiography.

Simone de Beauvoir continues to dominate twentieth century feminist theory, yet her work is the focus of inflamed debate amongst theorists of feminism.

This accessible introduction to de Beauvoir's life and ideas considers the themes and tensions which inform her work. Mary Evans shows how de Beauvoir's writings resist simplistic interpretations and cannot be reduced to simple oppositions between masculine and feminine, rational and irrational, or social and natural. Highlighting the autobiographical aspects in de Beauvoir's work, Evans presents a new and important analysis of the complex relationship between fact, fiction and autobiography.

This book provides an accessible introduction to the life, work, and particularly the ideas of Eleanor Rathbone. A prominent figure in British politics, both as a suffragist and as a Member of Parliament, she is best known today as the leading proponent for the introduction of family allowances.

Johanna Alberti outlines and explores the development of Eleanor Rathbone's ideas presenting them in the political and intellectual context of her time - a period of major change for women. Beginning with a survey of Eleanor Rathbone's personal and ideological heritage, the text goes on to examine her move from philanthropy to political action, her ideas on suffrage, and her astute approach to questions of equality and difference. The book also considers the impetus behind her entry into parliament, the way she expressed and shaped her ideas within a parliamentary setting, her involvement in Indian affairs, and finally her passionate commitment to the cause of refugees.