THE ODD WOMEN (VIRAGO MODERN CLASSICS)
Set in a grimy, fog-ridden London, Gissing's odd women range from the idealistic, financially self-sufficient Mary Barfoot to the Madden sisters who struggle to subsist in low paying jobs and little chance for joy. With narrative detachment, Gissing portrays contemporary society's blatant ambivalence towards its own period of transition. Judged by contemporary critics to be as provocative as Zola and Ibsen, Gissing produced an intensely modern work as the issues it raises remain the subject of contemporary debate.