The Daughters of Danaus

by Mona Caird

Book Overview

This brilliantly witty novel (1894) follows the lives of two sisters in a wealthy Scots family. One escapes to a profession in London and eventually a decent marriage while the heroine, Hadria, vows to become a composer in Paris, but is thwarted. The Daughters of Danaus reveals the power of marriage and the family hold in controlling the lives of talented, spirited women; but unlike other oppressed heroines of the period, Hadria and her feminism both survive. The books includes a trailblazing essay on marriage published by Caird, a visionary novelist and social critic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558610154
• ISBN13: 9781558610156
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Feminist Press
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

One of the greats of New Woman fiction

In Daughters of Danaus, Mona Caird manages to create a "problem" novel that does not ignore realism, plot, and good characterization. True, the novel is very talky, and a massive proportion of its bulk is a series of arguments between various characters on a woman's place, nature vs. society, and the power of the human will. All the same, the novel is never lacking in interest, and is thoroughly modern in refusing to provide a neat resolution.