Because of Beauvoir

Alison E. Jasper is Lecturer in Critical Religion at the School of Arts and Humanities in the University of Stirling, Scotland.

Part I 1. Beauvoir and The Second Sex 2. Female Genius and Christianity 3. Kristeva and Female Genius Part II 4. Jane Leade 5. Hannah More 6. Maude Royden 7. Michele Roberts Conclusion Bibliography Index

"In a manner that is both scholarly and deeply engaging Alison Jasper offers her own radical re-interpretation of the creative genius of women. Her work draws our attention to the fact that women have been the 'ingenious' shapers of spiritual knowledge as well as prophetic authors of secular criticism. Contemporary feminists are thus challenged to re-examine what counts as a feminist tradition and what we can learn from women's distinctive interventions in discourses of the divine." --Heather Walton, Centre for Literature, Theology and the Arts, University of Glasgow Jasper's compelling presentation...will appeal to scholars of women's lives and writing, whether in literature, philosophy, or religious studies. -- Leigh Pittenger, Christian Brothers University -- Religious Studies Review The lucidity of Jasper's prose, the interest of her case studies in part 2, and the breadth of her framing in part 1 will make this book useful in undergraduate settings. -- K. L. Brintnall, University of North Carolina at Charlotte -- CHOICE Advance ... Because of Beauvoir is not only a valuable contribution to the feminist literary, historical and theological tradition of uncovering, reclaiming and reinventing women's heritage previously suppressed and concealed by patriarchy. It is also a call for feminism, whether in secular or religious guises, to acknowledge the richness and complexity of that very heritage, in order to be better contend with the challenges of today. -- Anna Fisk, University of Glasgow -- Literature and Theology