The Woman Reader

This has been designed as a practical guide for students and teachers of women's writing courses. While much feminist criticism has originated in academic institutions, Milloy and O'Rourke assert the relevance of studying women's writing to the "ordinary" woman, while questioning who she might be. They discuss various strategies for learning and teaching, and give an account of some of the mistakes and difficulties they have encountered, particularly as they moved towards an understanding of the workings of racism and heterosexism in the classroom. "The Woman Reader" combines study of feminist thinking about questions of autobiography, differences of race and sexuality, women's writing and history, with discussions of writers such as Merle Collins, Alison Fell, Jackie Kay, Paule Marshall, Alice Walker, Marge Piercy, Adrienne Rich, Michele Roberts and May Sarton.