
audiobook
CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN - MORAL, POETICAL, AND HISTORICAL - BY - MRS. JAMESON - From the last London Edition
PREFACE - TO THE NEW EDITION.
CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN. - INTRODUCTION. - Scene—A Library.
CHARACTERS OF INTELLECT. - PORTIA.
CHARACTERS OF PASSION AND IMAGINATION. - JULIET.
CHARACTERS OF THE AFFECTIONS - HERMIONE.
HISTORICAL CHARACTERS. - CLEOPATRA.
In this compact yet richly layered work, the author turns a careful eye toward the moral, poetic, and historical dimensions of womanhood. Presented through an opening scene set in a library, the piece unfolds as a spirited conversation between a lady‑authoress and a gentleman, allowing ideas to surface in lively dialogue rather than dry treatise. From the outset, listeners are invited to contemplate how virtue, imagination, and legacy have shaped women’s lives across centuries.
The writer weaves familiar Shakespearean passages, references to Lady Macbeth and Mrs. Siddons, and personal reflections into a tapestry that feels both scholarly and intimate. Her modest tone—declaring the work a labor of love rather than a bid for fame—gives the essay a sincere, almost confessional quality that resonates with modern ears. As the conversation deepens, the book offers a nuanced portrait of feminine strength and vulnerability, encouraging you to reconsider long‑held assumptions while savoring the elegance of Victorian prose.
Language
en
Duration
~10 hours (578K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net.
Release date
2008-07-31
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1794–1860
A lively nineteenth-century writer who moved easily between travel, art, literature, and early feminist thought, she helped make serious cultural criticism readable for a wide audience. Her books range from Shakespearean heroines to Canadian travel and major studies of Christian art.
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