Gertrude Stein

This book is a study of Gertrude Stein’s diverse and idiosyncratic oeuvre, ranging from established works such as ‘The Autobiography of Alice B. Tolkas’ to her lesser known pieces of theatre. Drawing upon feminist, psychoanalytic and performance theory, Nicola Shaughnessy re-evaluates Stein’s prose, poetry and drama. Reference is made to Stein’s unpublished material, in particular her notebooks or ‘carnets’ which offer new insights into her life and work. The book explores the importance of autobiography as a pervasive element throughout Stein’s writing. Above all, Nicola Shaughnessy shows how Stein’s work benefits from being situated in an interdisciplinary artistic context with influences from art, theatre and music as well as literature.

Nicola Shaughnessy is Director of Drama and Theatre Studies at the University of Kent in Canterbury. She has written widely on feminist theatre, modernist women’s writing and autobiography. She is the author (with Robert Shaughnessy) of ‘Peg Woffington’ (2007) in the Lives of Shakespearian Actor series.