This essay collection is an invaluable resource that covers a glaringly underexplored area of literature by Irish women. The book highlights the years between 1878 and 1922, which, as the co-editors observe, was “a pivotal historical period” when “women entered the literary marketplace in conspicuously large numbers”. Nevertheless, this is “a development in publishing which has tended to elude the academic gaze”. As the contributors emphasise, the gaze which these Irish women faced, and which their legacy continues to face, is predominantly masculinist. The 12 essays cover a range of well-known and marginalised women writers from the North and South. The editors’ aim is to present a corrective to the infamous, all-male poster of “Irish Writers”, and work to fill in the gaps caused by the gender imbalance of Irish literary history. In her foreword, Lia Mills remarks upon importance of “attentive engagement with the work of women writers”. Otherwise, “we are left with a false sense of a series of giant leaps rather than something organic, various, evolving”. This book envisions the latter trajectory, providing a more holistic view of writing by Irish women during a defining moment in literary history.
