Laughing feminism

by Audrey Bilger

Laughing Feminism focuses on comedy in the works of Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen, authors who scrutinized the subjected prejudices against women in order to expose their absurdity and encourage readers to laugh at the folly of sexist views. By making fun of conduct literature, male authority figures, and courtship practices, the authors challenged commonly accepted views that contributed to women's subordination. Laughing Feminism sheds light on the ways in which Burney, Edgeworth, and Austen enlisted the power of comedy in the service of feminism, and in so doing participated in one of the most important ideological movements of the last three hundred years. It offers modern scholars a new look at feminist tactics as it brings to light a lost chapter in the history of comedy.