
Woman on a Mission
Cranogwen in Victorian Wales
Jane Aaron(Author)
University of Wales Press
Will be published approx. on 15. March 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-83772-310-2 (ISBN)
Description
During an age of extreme gender polarisation when women were confined to the domestic sphere, Sarah Jane Rees (1839-1916) from Llangrannog, better known by her bardic name Cranogwen, won high esteem as a poet, lecturer, journal editor, preacher and temperance campaigner. She also succeeded in her aim of inspiring other Welsh women to overcome class and gender barriers and enter the public sphere, and was hailed as a pioneering forerunner of the 'New Woman'. This biographical volume follows her through the various stages of her career from early years as a sailor, showing how an underprivileged woman succeeded in winning such influential renown. New light is also thrown on her homosexual love life, and her progressive views on gender - 'gender difference is nothing', she proclaimed in 1888.
The Welsh-language version of this volume, entitled Cranogwen, won the Wales Book of the Year award for creative non-fiction in 2024.
The Welsh-language version of this volume, entitled Cranogwen, won the Wales Book of the Year award for creative non-fiction in 2024.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Wales
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
Not illustrated
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83772-310-2 (9781837723102)
DOI
10.1234/b12153
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2026
1st Edition
University of Wales Press
€24.99
Available for download
Person
Emeritus professor at the University of South Wales, Jane Aaron is the author of six books, including Nineteenth-Century Women's Writing in Wales and Welsh Gothic.
Content
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 'Daughter of the Rock'
2 'Daughter of the Sea'
3 The Poet
4 The Public Lecturer
5 The Transatlantic Traveller
6 'My Friend'
7 The Editor and her Contributors
8 The Agony Aunt
9 The Evangelist
10 The Temperance Leader
Index
Introduction
1 'Daughter of the Rock'
2 'Daughter of the Sea'
3 The Poet
4 The Public Lecturer
5 The Transatlantic Traveller
6 'My Friend'
7 The Editor and her Contributors
8 The Agony Aunt
9 The Evangelist
10 The Temperance Leader
Index