From Publishers Weekly
What does it mean to speak as a feminist? How does the assumption of that role intersect with one's life history? These two questions are at the heart of Miller's ( Changing the Subject ) new collection of essays and occasional pieces, mainly engendered by "the spectacle of a significant number of critics getting personal in their writing . . . a sign of a turning point in the history of critical practices." The writings that ensue are, for the most part, an engaging reply to the anti-feminist backlash in the academy and the ongoing war over the place of critical theory. Miller asks, "Do you have to turn your back on theory in order to speak with a non-academic voice?" She manages to balance the two here; most of the works are accessible to the general reader. (The piece on why she gave up teaching French is very funny and will strike a responsive chord in many ex-Francophiles.) Miller is particularly eloquent when addressing the question of what feminist scholars "need to master" to survive in the patriarchal institutions of the academy, concluding with an acknowledgment of the contradiction inherent in considering the impact of a writer's gender in an era that proclaims "the Death of the Author."p. 47
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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...an engaging reply to the anti-feminist backlash in the academy and the ongoing war over the place of critical theory.Publisher's Weekly