Overview

Crossings in Text and Textile explores the diverse range of transatlantic representations of clothing in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century literature. This collection of essays demonstrates that fashion history and literary history, when examined together, prompt fresh understandings of the complexities of race, class, and sexual identity. By bridging material culture and discourse, Crossings establishes the significance of fashion—while neglecting none of its aesthetic appeal—to offer historicized readings on a variety of topics, from Jane Austen’s nuanced display of social interactions through the economics of muslin to the 1871 Park and Boulton cross-dressing trial and Jessie Fauset’s selection of apparel to express racial power. The geographic span of textiles from different economic areas around the globe includes Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. By making use of transatlantic texts to consider the political and social positioning of both workers and consumers, the collection further expands upon the emerging cross-disciplinary study of reading dress. A true “state of the field” work, Crossings in Text and Textiles charts new scholarly ground at the nexus between fashion, textiles, and literature, appealing to a broad interdisciplinary audience of scholars and students.

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9781611686425

Table of Contents

Reviews

The best of the essays brought together here not only examine how clothes indicate status, taste, conformity, or transgression within specific literary texts and societies but also situate both them and their production within the wider context of history, economics, and politics. Many fresh insights result from such a serious consideration of fashion. --Avril Horner, emeritus professor of English, Kingston University, London

Crossings in Text and Textile promises to appeal to a broad audience and reveals how clothing, which is often overlooked as mere detail in short stories and novels, might lie at the centre of the author's craft. --Textile History

Crossings in Text and Textile promises to appeal to a broad audience and reveals how clothing, which is often overlooked as mere detail in short stories and novels, might lie at the centre of the author s craft. <i><b>Textile History</b></i>

Author Information

Katherine Joslin is a professor of English at Western Michigan University. She is the author of numerous books including Edith Wharton and the Making of Fashion. Daneen Wardrop is a professor of English at Western Michigan University. Among her many books is Emily Dickinson and the Labor of Clothing.

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