
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Feminine Figures Feminine Figures
-
Women in Fact Women in Fact
-
Female Futures Female Futures
-
Emerson and Twenty-First Century Feminism Emerson and Twenty-First Century Feminism
-
Notes Notes
-
-
-
-
-
-
35 Emerson, Reluctant Feminist
Get accessLeslie Elizabeth Eckel, Associate Professor, English Department, Suffolk University
-
Published:18 July 2024
Cite
Abstract
As a student of his freethinking aunt Mary Moody Emerson, collaborator with Margaret Fuller on The Dial, and contributor to the intellectual community that Elizabeth Peabody created at her bookstore in Boston, Emerson nonetheless published books and presented lectures that are startlingly antifeminist. In Emerson’s writing, only men are “representative” individuals, while women represent the emasculating forces of social conformity. This chapter confronts these contradictions as it explores Emerson’s private journals and public writings, asking why Emerson was reluctant to declare his support for women’s rights. Was Emerson oblivious to the power and potential of the women upon whom he relied, or did he minimize their influence to carve out space for his own radicalism? This chapter highlights Emerson’s hesitation to advocate for women’s equality with men, arguing that his ambivalence invites reconsideration in relation to twenty-first-century feminist concerns with self-determination, intersectional identity, and reproductive rights.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
July 2024 | 5 |
August 2024 | 5 |
September 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 6 |
December 2024 | 3 |
January 2025 | 1 |
February 2025 | 4 |
April 2025 | 2 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.