Intro
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Introduction: Feminist Literary Criticism, Liberation, and Social Change
Representations and Social Change
Representations of Oppression
Rollback of Rights
Feminism in Society
Images of Equity
Feminism and Realist Fiction
Women's Liberation on Television
Feminist Politics in Narratives
Chapter 1 Feminist Information and the Novel as Information System
Novel Capacities
Multifocal Narratives
Novel Information
Fictional Influence
Dickens on Social Inequality
Narrative Sense
Drabble's Way

Women's Problems
Making Connections
Chapter 2 Liberty and Suffrage in Nineteenth-Century Narratives
The Evils of Slavery
Sentimental Power
Melville's Civil War
War on the Border
Postwar Recriminations
Suffrage in Fiction
Gendered Opportunities
Voting Rights for Women
Work for Women
Chapter 3 Feminist Marriage and the Academic Novel
Ethics and Equity
University Access
Scholarly Values
Research Ethics
Romance and Scholarship
Accidental Romance and Science
Independence and the Marriage Plot

Chapter 4 Feminism Meets Science in Recent Narratives
Gendered Stereotypes
Discovering Evolution
Women's Liberation
Scientific Ambition
Dreaming Discoveries
Feminism and Scientific Ethics
Overcoming Error
Hostile Environments
Feminist Science
Inspirational Scientists
Chapter 5 Reproductive Independence and Collectivity
Reproduction and Social Attitudes
Embracing Motherhood
Feminism, Technology, and Reproduction
The Lord's Work and the Devil's Work
Empowering Women Caregivers
Chapter 6 Overcoming Violence against Women
Patriarchal Trauma

Justice and Revenge
Hunting Criminals
Chapter 7 Feminist Politics in Fiction
Countering Expectations
Feminist Ethics in Politics
Family Problems
Ethics and Democracy
Madam President
Femininity and Feminism
Optimistic Feminism
The Power of Feminist Narratives
Epilogue
Pandemic Problems
Racial Disparities and Protests
Backlash and Resistance
Inclusion and Aspiration
What Next?
Notes
Bibliography
Index