First published in 1893, âThe Odd Womenâ by Victorian author George Gissing revolves around the themes of feminism, marriage, and love through the lives of several contrasting women. The âoddâ of the title refers to the fact that in Victorian Britain there were more men than women, and many women therefore found themselves surplus. Mary Barfoot is one of these surplus women - a feminist philanthropist, she is training women to have careers of their own. Her close friend Rhoda Nunn is strongly of the opinion that marriage is a disastrous choice for women, but their young protĂ©gĂ© Monica Madden goes against them both when she decides to marry a seemingly kind older man. A riveting story, and highly provocative for the time in which it was published, âThe Odd Womenâ is a sympathetic novel which was ahead of its time.
George Gissing (1857-1903) was a British author from Wakefield, Yorkshire. A studious child, his love of fiction was sparked when he first read Charles Dickens, who would prove to be a lifelong inspiration for Gissing. He would go on to write âCharles Dickens: A Critical studyâ in 1898. At the age of just fifteen Gissing was awarded a scholarship to Owenâs College University, where he won a number of prizes for his writing. His university education was cut short however when Gissing was found guilty of stealing from fellow students. Following his expulsion and punishment of a monthâs hard labour, Gissing travelled to America where he worked as a writer, teacher, and travelling salesman before returning to Britain. His first novels, âWorkers in the Dawnâ and âMrs Grundyâs Enemiesâ were self-published, and Gissing had to supplement his income through teaching. He wrote over twenty novels during the course of his literary career, which all drew on his own experiences of near-poverty, hardship, and his deeply unhappy personal life. His most famous works include, âThe Nether Worldâ, âNew Grub Streetâ and âThe Odd Womenâ. He died in France in 1903.