Ideala

by Sarah Grand

It was not always--although, unfortunately, it was oftenest at critical moments--that she was beset with this inability to see more than one side of a subject at a time. The odd thing about it was that one never knew which side, the pathetic or the humorous, would strike her. Generally, however, it was the one that related least to herself personally. This self-forgetfulness, with a keen sense of the ludicrous, led her sometimes, when she had anything amusing to relate, to overlook considerations which would have kept other people silent.

Genres: Classics, 19th Century

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1888

Reviews

[Dushan Milinovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I wore a skirt in the nineteenth century, she would be me.

[Jacob Longini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely more of an educational read than it is an entertaining one, Grand's work communicates the many Women's Rights ideas that were circulating in the late 19th Century. Ideala represents a shift from liberal feminism to social purity feminism, something modern audiences will not find very satisfactory in the plot of the novel, but a very interesting case for scholars of women writers in the long 19th Century. The work is also interesting in its transition between the 19th Century conventions of literary realism to proto-modernist techniques that would rise in the 20th century. The introduction by Molly Youngkin (my professor of 19th Century Women's Literature) is very insightful, and her work in editing the edition as a whole is fantastic. The whole novel is filled with helpful footnotes in which Youngkin adds rich detail regarding the cultural context behind the story. Again, not a book for those looking to be entertained, but an essential read for scholars interested in related content.

[darcy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Opening Line: She came among us without flourish of trumpets.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars