Representations of femininity, domesticity, sexuality, work and independence in mid-Victorian women's magazines

• Main Author: Boardman, Kay
• Published: University of Strathclyde 1994
• Subjects: 800; Literature
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.298765

This study explores representations of femininity, domesticity, sexuality, work and independence in mid-Victorian women's periodicals. Through close readings of a whole range of publications produced for and by women between 1845 and 1880 the study aims to explore the relationship between text and culture, and to consider the relevance of class as an important determinant of social knowledge and value. Starting from a discussion of methodological and theoretical concerns the study moves on to look at representations of the sign woman in popular, fashion, drawingroom and evangelical magazines. A final chapter explores the way in which a woman-centred discourse is developed in feminist journals and considers the significance of class as a marker of respectability. The wider concern of the study is with debates about the relationship between gender and class, the women's magazine as a popular signifying practice, and the highly mediated relationship between text and culture.