Rebecca West: Heroism, Rebellion and the Female Epic

Draws on archival material and published texts to examine the full body of West's writings, her spiritual and philosophical views, and her reinvention of epic heroism in feminist terms. Rebecca West (1892-1983) was a prominent English critic, journalist, and novelist. She contributed to feminist and socialist magazines, had a lengthy relationship with H. G. Wells, and was named Dame of the British Empire in 1959. Her literary reputation declined after 1970 and was revived in the mid- 1980s, with the posthumous publication of three novels and a memoir and the reissue of several earlier works. With the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, her Black Lamb and Grey Falcon catapulted her into the limelight and brought her much critical attention. This book offers a much-needed assessment of her literary career. The volume analyzes West's spiritual and philosophical ideas and argues that she consciously continues the epic tradition in her novels and travel writings. In doing so, she reinvents epic heroism in feminist terms. The first part of the book studies her fiction, including, The Judge and her trilogy of novels about the Aubrey family. It then explores the philosophical and conceptual elements in her fictional and nonfictional prose and relates her ideas to other thinkers. The volume closes with a look at her reworking of epic conventions in her travel writings, including her unfinished Survivors in Mexico.