This is the most complete critical survey to date of women's literature in nineteenth-century France. Alison Finch's wide-ranging analysis of some sixty writers from Madame de Staël to Rachilde brings out the contribution of major figures such as George Sand as well as focusing on many other important but neglected writers. Her study opens up new perspectives on the interchange between male and female authors and illustrates the struggles of France's most brilliant women against an oppressive society. The book provides extensive reference features including bibliographical guides to texts and writers.