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Presented here is Volume III of our Feminist Literary Classics series, featuring three of the most important feminist novels ever written: Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, O Pioneers! by Willa Cather and So Big by Edna Ferber.
The first book in this collection is Orlando: A Biography, a groundbreaking English novel by Virginia Woolf that explores English history, gender roles and sexual politics in a way few books have before or since. The story follows the life of an aristocratic nobleman who changes sex from man to woman and goes on to live for centuries, meeting all of the most influential and powerful figures in English history.
Next, we have O Pioneers! by Willa Cather, the first book of the "Prairie Trilogy" and one of the most powerful, moving books about life as a farmer in early 20th century America ever written. O Pioneers! solidified Willa Cather as a major literary force and she swiftly became the voice of the Midwest.
And finally, we present So Big, Edna Ferber's breakout, Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of life on an American farm and features one of the most iconic characters in 20th century fiction, the hardscrabble schoolteacher-turned-truck-farmer Selina Peake DeJong.
Each of these books is presented in its original and unabridged format.
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About Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) née Stephen, was an English writer, publisher and feminist. She is considered one of the most important early 20th-century authors and was an early practitioner of what became known as "stream of consciousness" writing. From 1897 to 1901, Virginia attended the Ladies' Department of King's College London, where she studied of classical writing and history and where she came into contact with some of the early reformers of both women's higher education and the women's rights movement. When their mother, Julia, died of influenza in 1895, Virginia's the older siblings took on their mother's role in raising the children. This period is when Virginia first began to battle mental illness, which would plague her throughout her life. In 1912, Virginia married Leonard Woolf, a strong supporter of Virginia's budding writing career. Virginia published her first book - The Voyage Out - in 1915 through her half-brother's publishing house but soon afterwards Virginia and Leonard Woolf founded Hogarth Press which would publish most of Virginia's novels as well as works by E.M. Forster and T.S. Eliot. The best known of Virginia's literary works include Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928).Virginia and Leonard Woolf's relationship was based on mutual respect but not a great deal of physical attraction. Virginia was most likely a lesbian, though some have argued that she may have been bisexual. At any rate, Virginia had affairs with several women (most notably Vita Sackville-West, who inspired Woolf's novel Orlando).Virginia Woolf enjoyed great literary success in her lifetime and her books have been translated into more than 50 languages. Though her popularity waned in the years following her death, the feminist movement of the 1970's did much to revive her reputation and solidify her as one of the most important writers of the 20th century.Mental illness continued to trouble Woof for the rest of her life, causing her to be institutionalized several times. In 1941, Woolf wrote a suicide note, filled her pockets with stones and drowned herself in the River Ouse in Yorkshire.
Other books by Virginia Woolf
Willa Cather
Willa Cather was an American novelist who wrote tales of the Great Plains and stories of immigrant and migrant families who settled the American West. She won the Pulitzer Prize for her book "One of Ours," which explored romantic idealism, the frustrations of life in middle America and how World War I profoundly changed the lives of the young men who fought in the conflict. It was published in 1923.Cather was born in Virginia, but her family relocated to Nebraska when Willa was nine years old. They settled in the town of Red Cloud, where her father initially attempted to become a farmer, but eventually moved into the real estate and insurance business. Willa attended school for the first time after the family arrived in Nebraska.Eventually, she would graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and spend ten years in Pittsburgh, working as a teacher and a magazine editor at Home Monthly, often contributing her own stories and poems to the publication. After working at the Pittsburgh Leader, Cather moved to New York and began working as an editor at McClure's Magazine where she also contributed stories. They would eventually serialize her first novel, "Alexander's Bridge" in 1912.Cather followed up her first book with what would become known as the "Prairie Trilogy": "O Pioneers!" (1913), "Song of the Lark" (1915) and "My Antonia" 1918. By this time, Cather had firmly established herself as a writer and her Pulitzer for "One of Ours" would forever cement her as a major figure in American literature. Her follow-up, "Death Comes for the Archbishop" (1927) would be cited as one of Modern Library's Best 100 Novels of the 20th century.She lived with her domestic partner, Edith Lewis, for 39 years before developing breast cancer and dying of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1947. She is buried beside Lewis in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.
Other books by Willa Cather
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber (1885-1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Revered during her lifetime as one of the most talented and prolific writers of her era, many of Ferber's best-known works have been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen.Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Jewish-American parents (her father was a Hungarian emigre), Ferber's family was forced to move a great deal during her childhood and she often faced anti-semitic ridicule from both adults and children while she was still a child. Ultimately, Ferber's parents settled in Appleton, Wisconsin where she graduated high school and attended (briefly) Lawrence University.Ferber initially wanted to become a performer, but she stumbled instead into a career in journalism. A bout of anemia forced her to stay close to home and her isolation led Ferber to begin writing short fiction and getting published in a number of magazines.Her success in short story writing eventually led to Ferber publishing both novels and short story collections and her fame began to grow. In 1925, she won the Pulitzer Prize for the book "So Big" (which was adapted to the screen in 1953). Her subsequent novels, which included "Cimarron," "Show Boat" and "Giant" were even more successful and also became highly popular stage and screen adaptations.Ferber was a member of the legendary Algonquin Round Table - along with Dorothy Parker, George S. Kaufman, Harpo Marx and Ferber's personal nemesis, Alexander Woolcott. She and Kaufman would eventually collaborate on a number of plays, including the wildly successful shows The Royal Family, Dinner at Eight and Stage Door.Edna Ferber - easily one of the 20th centuries most talented and admired writers - died of stomach cancer in New York City at the age of 82.
Other books by Edna Ferber
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