Crossing the Line: The New Woman of the Fin de Siècle

After centuries of debate over the place of women, the New Woman would shake up the status quo when she appeared in English society during the fin de siècle. Her efforts as an advocate for women’s rights inspired the growing groups of women who declared themselves more than just housewives and mothers, and added fuel to the fight for women’s suffrage and educational reform. Brought to life in essays, plays, novels, and short stories by notable writers such as Sarah Grand, Mona Caird, and George Egerton, the New Woman’s independence and sexual agency challenged the stereotypical Victorian female. With an agenda for change, she encouraged women to follow her call to action to make themselves heard in the male-dominated society that was 19th-century England.

Within this anthology are works that represent the New Woman character of the fin de siècle. Her spunky attitude, independent spirit, and desire for change live on over a century later throughout the essays, plays, and fiction bound together in this book.