Intersections of Gender, Class, and Race in the Long Nineteenth Century and Beyond

This book explores the intersections of gender with class and race in the construction of national and imperial ideologies and their fluid transformation from the Romantic to the Victorian period and beyond, exposing how these cultural constructions are deeply entangled with the family metaphor. For example, by examining the re-signification of the “angel in the house” and the deviant woman in the context of unstable or contingent masculinities and across discourses of class and nation, the volume contributes to a more nuanced understanding of British cultural constructions in the long nineteenth century. The central idea is to unearth the historical roots of the family metaphor in the construction of national and imperial ideologies, and to uncover the interests served by its specific discursive formation. The book explores both male and female stereotypes, enabling a more perceptive comparison, enriched with a nuanced reflection on the construction and social function of class.             

“The chapters may be most useful for those preparing to teach these topics to undergraduates, who may not be familiar with the Angel in the House and other tropes and concepts that have become canonical. This collection, and collections like it, also serve as an invitation for readers and editors to reconsider the aims of, and audiences for, such texts.” (Melissa Shields Jenkins, Victorian Studies, Vol. 62 (3), 2020)“This volume is a meaningful contribution to ongoing conversations about class, race, and gender. … The scope of this collection is ambitious, and the chapters collected in this volume contribute to a nuanced understanding of the Victorian era and its connections to our present time.” (Scott Larkin, Victorian Periodicals Review, Vol. 52 (4), 2019)

Barbara Leonardi earned her AHRC-funded PhD in English Studies from the University of Stirling for which she was awarded “The Professor G. Ross Roy Medal” for the top PhD thesis submitted in 2013. Her AHRC-funded post-doctorate focused on “James Hogg’s Contribution to International Periodicals.” She has published articles and book chapters on James Hogg, Walter Scott and pragmatics linguistics for literature. She is a reviewer for The Year’s Work in English Studies from volume 96 for the section on the Romantic novel.