Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-242) and index.
Contents
Why try a writing career?: the ambiguous cultural context for women writers of the mid-nineteenth century -- Gentlemen and ladies: ideals and economics in the literary marketplace -- The place of gender in business: the career of E.D.E.N. Southworth -- The impact of domestic feminism: Harriet Beecher Stowe's mature career -- The battle for a fair marketplace: Mary Abigail Dodge versus James T. Fields -- "Very serious literary labor": the career of Helen Hunt Jackson -- The demise of feminine strength: the career of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (Ward) -- A final word: literary professionalism and women.