Blessed Motherhood, Bitter Fruit

Nelly Roussel and the Politics of Female Pain in Third Republic France

Inbunden, Engelska, 2006

829 kr

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Nelly Roussel (1878-1922)-the first feminist spokeswoman for birth control in Europe-challenged both the men of early twentieth-century France, who sought to preserve the status quo, and the women who aimed to change it. She delivered her messages through public lectures, journalism, and theater, dazzling audiences with her beauty, intelligence, and disarming wit. She did so within the context of a national depopulation crisis caused by the confluence of low birth rates, the rise of international tensions, and the tragedy of the First World War. While her support spread across social classes, strong political resistance to her message revealed deeply conservative precepts about gender which were grounded in French identity itself. In this thoughtful and provocative study, Elinor Accampo follows Roussel's life from her youth, marriage, speaking career, motherhood, and political activism to her decline and death from tuberculosis in the years following World War I.She tells the story of a woman whose life and work spanned a historical moment when womanhood was being redefined by the acceptance of a woman's sexuality as distinct from her biological, reproductive role-a development that is still causing controversy today.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2006-11-03
Mått152 x 229 x 24 mm
Vikt612 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor336
FörlagJohns Hopkins University Press
ISBN9780801884047

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Genusvetenskap inom Samhälle och politik

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Nelly Roussel, "Contemporary of the Future"1. Conversion Experiences2. Mother and Missionary: The Ideological Foundations of an Unorthodox Feminism3. The Making and Marketing of a Spectacular Apostle4. The Public and Private Politics of Female Self-Sacrifice: Audience Reception5. Pathologies and Persecutions6. The Great War: Pacifism, Censorship, and the Disease of a "Weary, Wounded Heart"7. Last Battles: Words of Combat, Hope, and PainEpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex

A top pick for any definitive women's history collection. California Bookwatch 2006 Accampo's biography is to be recommended for offering a wealth of information on a fascinating figure on the margins of the women's movement. -- Alison S. Fell Modern and Contemporary France 2007 Provides insightful analysis... Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above. Choice 2007 An exceptionally engaging, comprehensively researched, and finely crafted study. A significant contribution. -- Carolyn J. Eichner American Historical Review 2007 Well organized and enjoyable to read. -- Holger H. Herwig Canadian Journal of History 2007 A deeply engaging and well-researched biography of French feminist and birth-control advocate Nelly Roussel... It should be of great interest to feminist scholars and French historians, and its thoughtful examination of the cultural politics of female pain and suffering also offers valuable insights to historians of medicine. Journal of Historical Biography 2009 Masterful... offers a weaving of personal and political that at times is breathtaking. Copious correspondence between Roussel and her husband, family, friends, and colleagues allows Accampo to plumb the spaces in which private and public lives overlapped, sometimes uncomfortably. French Politics, Culture, and Society 2009 We have Accampo to thank for recovering Roussel's life and work in this engaging biography. -- Sarah A. Curtis Journal of the History of Sexuality 2009