54 pages • 1 hour read
The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book Brief
768
Book • Nonfiction
1970s
1979
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, a foundational work in feminist literary criticism, explores the lives and works of 19th-century female writers such as Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson, emphasizing their struggles within Victorian patriarchy and themes of confinement and escape reflected in their literature. This scholarly text, rich in analysis, includes references to later writers like Virginia Woolf and integrates male voices like Sigmund Freud to enhance its discussion. Some essays address distressing themes related to women's historical oppression.
Informative
Contemplative
Mysterious
Melancholic
Reviews & Readership
4,209 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar's The Madwoman in the Attic offers a profound analysis of female literary creativity in the 19th century. Critics praise the insightful feminist perspective and thorough research, though some argue the dense academic prose can be challenging. Overall, it's considered a seminal and influential work in feminist literary criticism.
Who Should Read The Madwoman in the Attic?
A reader who delights in feminist literary criticism and the examination of women's roles in 19th-century literature would relish The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. Fans of The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan would find this work engaging.
4,209 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Susan Gubar
Susan Gubar
An author and professor whose collaborative work with Sandra M. Gilbert on numerous scholarly texts has influenced literary criticism; she also penned a memoir about her experience with ovarian cancer.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen
A British novelist renowned for her portrayal of middle-class life and marriage in the 19th century, with a body of work that includes six novels exploring women's roles in society.
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
A British novelist of the Romantic period remembered for her seminal work, "Frankenstein," often regarded as a pioneering piece of speculative fiction.
Emily Brontë
Emily Brontë
A British novelist and poet known for her singular novel "Wuthering Heights," which offers a dramatic narrative set against the Yorkshire moors.
Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
A British novelist famous for "Jane Eyre," featuring the emblematic character Bertha Rochester, and wrote under the pseudonym Currer Bell.
George Eliot
George Eliot
The pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans, a British novelist known for novels like "Middlemarch," characterized by their psychological depth and examination of complex social themes.
Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson
An American poet whose reclusive life and posthumously published work have made her a pivotal figure in American literature, noted for her innovative and introspective poetry.
John Milton
John Milton
An English poet whose epic "Paradise Lost" and political writings cement his legacy as one of England's greatest literary figures, despite having lost his sight in midlife.
768
Book • Nonfiction
1970s
1979
Adult
18+ years
Continue your reading experience
Subscribe now to unlock the rest of this Study Guide plus our full library, which features expert-written summaries and analyses of 8,000+ additional titles.