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  2. Gates of Freedom: Voltairine de Cleyre and the Revolution of the Mind

Gates of Freedom: Voltairine de Cleyre and the Revolution of the Mind

Eugenia C. DeLamotte 2004
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"The time is surely right to draw attention to Voltairine de Cleyre, one of the most uncompromisingly revolutionary of all American women writers . . . [Gates of Freedom] gives a fine selection of de Cleyre's work, while articulating it to contemporary critical and cultural concerns . . . . The book's organization, its tendency to tackle the most difficult issues head on, and its careful selection of published and unpublished work are all superb."

---Cary Nelson, University of Illinois

"The question of souls is old; we demand our bodies, now." These words are not from a feminist manifesto of the late twentieth century, but from a fiery speech given a hundred years earlier by Voltairine de Cleyre, a leading anarchist and radical thinker. A contemporary of Emma Goldman---who called her "the most gifted and brilliant anarchist woman America ever produced"---de Cleyre was a significant force in a major social movement that sought to transform American society and culture at its root. But she belongs to a group of late-nineteenth-century freethinkers, anarchists, and sex-radicals whose writing continues to be excluded from the U.S. literary and historical canon.

Gates of Freedom considers de Cleyre's speeches, letters, and essays, including her most well known essay, "Sex Slavery." Part I brings current critical concerns to bear on de Cleyre's writings, exploring her contributions to the anarchist movement, her analyses of justice and violence, and her views on women, sexuality, and the body. Eugenia DeLamotte demonstrates both de Cleyre's literary significance and the importance of her work to feminist theory, women's studies, literary and cultural studies, U.S. history, and contemporary social and cultural analysis. Part II presents a thematically organized selection of de Cleyre's stirring writings, making Gates of Freedom appealing to scholars, students, and anyone interested in Voltairine de Cleyre's fascinating life and rousing work.

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ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-02628-9 (ebook)
  • 978-0-472-06867-8 (paper)
Subject
  • Gender Studies:Women's Studies
  • Literary Studies:American Literature
  • Cultural Studies
  • History:American History
  • American Studies
Citable Link
  • Table of Contents

  • Stats

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Dedication
  • Acknowledgments
  • Contents
  • Part One: Revolution of the Mind
    • Introduction
    • 1. Freeing Thought
    • 2. Fated Fruit
    • 3. Sex Slavery
    • 4. Refashioning the Mind
  • Part Two: Selected Writings of Voltairine de Cleyre
    • Section One. De Cleyre's Lifework: Hope, Despair, Solidarity
      • The Burial of My Past Self
      • New and Strange Ideas
      • Civilizing the World
      • To Print the Force of My Will
      • Do You Remember . . .?
      • Possessed by Barren Doubts
      • Impractical! Hell!
      • Report of the Work of the Chicago Mexican Defense League
    • Section Two. Freedom, Justice, Anarchism
      • The Hurricane
      • A Rocket of Iron
      • Appeal for Herman Helcher
      • The Chain Gang
      • The Commune Is Risen
    • Section Three. On Women, Sexuality, and the Body
      • Selling Their Bodies
      • Sex Slavery
      • The Gates of Freedom
      • The White Room
      • Mary Wollstonecraft
      • If I Had Married Him
      • The Past and Future of the Ladies' Liberal League
      • The Case of Woman vs. Orthodoxy
      • The Woman Question
      • The Heart of Angiolillo
      • The Death of Love
      • The Hopelessly Fallen
      • They Who Marry Do Ill
  • Notes to Part I
  • Works Cited
  • Selected Index of Names
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