Antebellum American Women's Poetry

At a time when a woman speaking before a mixed-gender audience risked acquiring the label “promiscuous,” thousands of women presented their views about social or moral issues through sentimental poetry, a blend of affect with intellect that allowed their participation in public debate. Bridging literary and rhetorical histories, traditional and semiotic interpretations,  Antebellum American Women's Poetry: A Rhetoric of Sentiment  explores an often overlooked, yet significant and persu