Women and the Rise of Academic English Studies

Women and the Rise of Academic English Studies sheds new light on the history of the academic discipline of English. It is the first book to study women scholars during what proved to be a transformational period for the study and teaching of literature, as universities across England began offering courses in English for the first time. Combining textual analysis and extensive archival research, the book unveils important findings about how the three women scholars approached their work, often against the grain of their discipline. Looking at the lives and work of three pioneering women – Q. D. Leavis, Caroline Spurgeon, and Edith Morley – it explores their critical tendencies along with the role of gender within English studies’ inaugural methods and values. Women and the Rise of Academic English Studies makes a vital contribution to our understanding of how the discipline evolved in England during the early twentieth century and offers insights to anyone interested in the history of higher education, the intellectual professions, and women’s political movements.