Lillie Devereux Blake

Library Journal

Farrell, who has edited a new edition of Blake's novel, 'Fettered for Life,' here presents an engaging critical biography, the first in 60 years.

Resources for American Literary Study

"The great strength of the biography is that, within a relatively short compass, Farrell communicates the complexity of the life of a woman who was widely traveled and well connected and who wrote voluminously. . . .The University of Massachusetts Press is to be commended for giving Farrell the latitude to present in its fullest expansion the material of the last two chapters, titled "On Being Lost" and "Literary Detection: A Postscript on Process," as an integral portion of the book. These chapters might well be assigned as required reading for all graduate students working in nineteenth-century sources."

Library Journal

Almost forgotten today, Blake (1833-1913) was a successful author, journalist, and public speaker prominent in the women's rights movement and instrumental in the founding of Barnard College. Fiercely independent and unwilling to be confined by the gender constraints of her day, Blake supported herself and her children by writing and lecturing and campaigned tirelessly for the legal and social equality of women. Her wider vision of women's rights put her at odds with women seeking only women's suffrage. As a result, she has been marginalized in the history of the women's suffrage movement. Farrell (English, Butler Univ.), who has edited a new edition of Blake's novel, Fettered for Life, here presents an engaging critical biography, the first in 60 years. She skillfully describes Blake's accomplishments against the background of her struggles with prevailing social attitudes. Farrell's own experiences in researching the book offer additional perspective on Blake's life. Appropriate for academic and public libraries. Patricia A. Beaber, Coll. of New Jersey Lib., Ewing Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.