Ranging from consideration of early writers such as Maria Edgeworth and Sydney Owenson to recent feminist pamphlet wars, this text explores the connections between personal and national identities, politics and literary style, and gender and artistic vocation. Some essays in the text focus on prominent writers such as Augusta Gregory and Eavan Boland, and others introduce readers to lesser-known voices such as Emily Lawless and Mary Beckett. Some of the essays show how groups of women, such as upper-middle-class Catholics and lesbians, have used their writing to construct social goals.