Lesa Scholl Livres

Through an interdisciplinary lens of theology, medicine, and literary criticism, this book examines the complicated intersections of food consumption, political economy, and religious conviction in nineteenth-century Britain. Scholarship on fasting is gendered. This book deliberately faces this gendering by looking at the way in which four Victorian women writers - Christina Rossetti, Alice Meynell, Elizabeth Gaskell and Josephine Butler - each engage with food restraint from ethical, social and theological perspectives. While many studies look at fasting as a form of spiritual discipline or punishment, or alternatively as anorexia nervosa, this book positions limiting food consumption as an ethical choice in response to the food insecurity of others. By examining their works in this way, this study repositions feminine religious practice and writing in relation to food consumption within broader contexts of ecocriticism, economics and social justice

Focusing on the literary journeys of Charlotte Brontë, Harriet Martineau, and George Eliot, the study highlights how these Victorian women expanded their professional horizons through translation, editing, and reviewing. Their engagement with foreign languages and cultures not only enriched their own writings but also played a crucial role in shaping their identities as authors. This exploration reveals the significant impact of these activities on their literary careers and the broader landscape of women's contributions to literature during the Victorian era.

Focusing on the interplay between hunger and emotional narratives, Lesa Scholl analyzes the works of notable authors like Charles Dickens and George Eliot. She investigates how the language of starvation reflects broader themes of emotional and intellectual deprivation, revealing a complex and evolving understanding of hunger in literature. Through this exploration, the book highlights the connections between physical and psychological needs, offering insights into the social context of the time.