Long Eighteenth Century By Mona Narain 2014 02 01 — Gender And Space In British Literature 1660 1820 Edited By Mona Narain And Karen Gevirtz British Literature In Context In The

By combining feminist geography with literary analysis, the book reveals how space acts as an "agent" of historical change rather than just a backdrop.

For Narain, space is not just location; it is proprietary . Who owns the room? In a period where married women could not own property (under coverture laws), literary depictions of women renting lodgings or inheriting houses become deeply subversive acts. The volume frequently returns to the trope of the "female wanderer" who has no legal space, highlighting the precarity of the female subject. By combining feminist geography with literary analysis, the

Critics have pointed out one minor weakness: the volume is heavily Anglocentric, with limited discussion of Scottish or Irish spatial dynamics (though the colonial chapters partially address this). Nevertheless, as of 2025, it remains a standard reference in over 500 university libraries worldwide. In a period where married women could not

Crucially, the volume does not limit "space" to London or the British manor. Several chapters deal with colonial spaces: the Caribbean plantation, the Indian zenana, and the North American frontier. Here, the intersection of gender and race becomes fraught. White British masculinity is often tested in these "wild" spaces, while women writers used colonial settings to critique patriarchal enclosure back home. Nevertheless, as of 2025, it remains a standard