"This fascinating book offers an entirely new way of thinking about the New Woman—as she saw the world and the world saw her. Choice of dress was crucial to women's independence at the end of the nineteenth century—and we still have much to learn from the pioneering women writers who understood just what was at stake in sartorial politics. This illuminating and thought-provoking study will change the way you think about New Woman fiction." —Fiona Stafford, Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford
“This welcome publication offers an intriguing glimpse into the great potential of fiction as a source for fashion history. Bringing new attention to New Woman authors and their works, Claire Allen-Johnstone highlights their contribution to more complete understandings of the forces of dress reform and creation of gender identities at the end of the nineteenth century. Detailed analysis of traces of the novelists’ own wardrobes and approaches to fashion bring their external appearances together with their interior, creative fictions, promoting wider awareness of the critical role of such sartorial biographies.” —Jenny Lister, Curator, Fashion and Textiles, 1800-1900, Victoria and Albert Museum
"That spectacular cover captured me and my love of women's writing, fashion, and history drew me like the most pleasing perfume to the book's thesis: "How dress, tied to Victorian gender norms and stereotypes, became key in feminist literary culture. That made intuitive sense, and as I read the author's beautifully written and researched book, I was completely taken by her proposition that the intersection of feminism, writing and fashion had a profound impact on women's lives. The author offers a compelling analysis of the writing, book covers, and fashion style of "New Woman" writers in Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily Grant Allen, George Egerton, Sarah Grand, and Olive Schreiner. Each was new to me, yet I found myself captivated by their lives and stories, and of course, their fashion sense!" —Char Jones, Literary Redhead
