Hundreds of anthologies of women’s short stories have appeared in the literary market between the 1970s and now. This publishing and cultural phenomenon is considered for the first time in this book, which argues that during this period anthologies have become a literary technology used not only to make visible female short story writers, but also to think about, and mould ideas of, womanhood. Through creative and contextualised readings of the most important anthologies produced in this period, this study shows that this literary form has contributed to, and in some cases pioneered, key developments in gender theory and feminist thought, including questions of political combination among women which underlie contemporary global movements such as #MeToo. In doing so, the book also develops the first book-length conceptualisation of the features and meaning-making mechanisms of the short story anthology as a literary form.

This book will benefit academics and students working in the fields of short fiction, publishing and women’s studies, as well as feminist scholars and a growing number of specialists interested in the anthology as a literary form worldwide.