Dying to Be English No. 8

Description:

"Enlightenment assumptions regarding the gendering of suicide still persist in coroners' investigations, statistical analyses and the media's coverage of high-profile deaths. This study examines the presentation of suicide within the genre of the eighteenth-century novel as both a feminine action and a declaration of national identity. A perceived rise in suicide rates in the eighteenth-century led to the topic's identification as an 'English Malady' and its treatment within the novel as a public, society-defining gesture. Using the novels of several key writers of the period, including Frances Burney, Eliza Haywood and Samuel Richardson, McGuire demonstrates that their work inscribes a nationalist imperative to frame suicide as self-sacrifice. By considering the eighteenth-century novel as a cultural document, she combines literary analysis with cultural history, creating an innovative and challenging picture of the relationship between suicide, gender and national identity"--Publisher's website, March 28, 2012.

subjects: Nationalism in literature,  Women in literature,  English fiction, history and criticism, 18th century,  Literature and society,  Great britain, history,  Women, great britain,  Women, history,  History,  Suicide,  Suicide in literature,  History and criticism,  English fiction,  English literature,  Suicide dans la littérature,  Littérature anglaise,  Histoire et critique,  LITERARY CRITICISM,  European,  English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh