This book, originally published in 1832, was the first effort by a woman to examine the attributes of the foremost heroines of Shakespeare's plays. Mrs. Jameson organizes the protagonists into four categories, I. Characters of Intellect, II. Passion and Imagination, III. Characters of the Affections, and IV. Historical Characters. This book has added illustrations and notes. It is a book that will be appreciated by devotees of all things Shakespeare and is certain to lend an even greater understanding and affection for these characters. It is one of the classics in literary criticism, especially of the 19th century. As “Women’s Studies,” have become a modern scholastic topic, this book is an example of early egalitarianist points of view concerning women. Irish-born Mrs. Anna (Brownell Murphy) Jameson, who lived from 1794 until 1860, was an art historian and author. While not a radical feminist, she believed that women had a right to work for society outside the domestic domain, and that the creation of new jobs for them when they were not needed at home was a good thing.

Shakespeare’s Heroines.: Characteristics of Women, Moral, Poetical, and Historical, Annotated and Illustrated

Education & Teaching

Jameson, Anna Murphy

Studying & Workbooks

Independently published

First published in 1832, Shakespeare’s Heroines is a unique hybrid of Shakespeare criticism, women’s rights activism, and conduct literature. Jameson’s collection of readings of female characters includes praise for unexpected role models as varied as Portia, Cleopatra, and Lady Macbeth; her interpretations of these and other characters portray intellect, passion, political ambition, and eroticism as acceptable aspects of women’s behaviour. This inventive work of literary criticism addresses the problems of women’s education and participation in public life while also providing insightful, original, and entertaining readings of Shakespeare’s women. This Broadview Edition includes a critical introduction that places Shakespeare’s Heroines in the context of Jameson’s literary career and political life. Appendices include personal correspondence and other literary and political writings by Jameson, examples of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Shakespeare criticism, and selections from Victorian conduct books.

Shakespeare's Heroines, or Characteristics of Women (Broadview Edition)

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

Broadview Press

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Books by Jameson, Anna Murphy