The Making of Modern Woman

"Modern woman was made between the French Revolution and the end of the First World War. In this time, the women of Europe developed new ideas about their sexuality, motherhood, the home, the politics of femininity, and their working roles. They faced challenges about what a woman should be and how she should act. From domestic ideology to women's suffrage, this book charts the contests for woman's identity in this epoch-shaping century." "Nineteenth-century woman is illuminated in all her guises - as mother, wife, lover, revolutionary, coloniser, worker and feminist. Lynn Abrams shows how individuals took on these roles - from a protesting worker in Barcelona, to campaigning nationalist in Poland, to Christian missionary in India. The author follows modern woman as she faces the 'male' century par excellence - dominated by the history of revolutions, nationalism, imperial expansion, labour protest and world war. Structured round European history's grand narrative, these key themes are re-evaluated from woman's perspective. Enriched with accounts of individual women and their experiences of war, work, love and politics, this is an accessible and engaging read which re-positions woman from her traditional role of cheerleader to central actor in European history."--Jacket.