Maternal Instincts

Visions of Motherhood and Sexuality in Britain, 1875–1925

  • Claudia Nelson
  • Ann Sumner Holmes
Book

Table of contents

  1. Front Matter
    Pages i-viii
    PDF
  2. Introduction
    Ann Sumner Holmes, Claudia Nelson
    Pages 1-12
  3. ‘Not a Fit or Proper Person’
    Nancy Fix Anderson
    Pages 13-36
  4. ‘Fallen Mothers’
    Ann Sumner Holmes
    Pages 37-57
  5. Race Motherhood
    George Robb
    Pages 58-74
  6. Virgin Territory and the Iron Virgin
    Lillian Nayder
    Pages 75-97
  7. ‘Under the Guidance of a Wise Mother’
    Claudia Nelson
    Pages 98-121
  8. ‘The Mothers of Our Soldiers’ Children’
    Susan R. Grayzel
    Pages 122-140
  9. Sexuality, Maternity, and Femininity in Films Exhibited in Britain, 1914–19
    Anne Morey
    Pages 141-165
  10. Back Matter
    Pages 166-171
    PDF

About this book

Introduction

Maternal Instincts brings together seven new essays exploring conflicting visions of motherhood and sexuality in a period during which both terms were undergoing radical change. Representations of both concepts mutated to accommodate different cultural contexts and individual ideologies. Drawing upon sources including literature, film, medical handbooks, popular science, and legal records, the articles collected here construct a vision of motherhood as alternately idealized, discredited, and fragmented by virtue of its connection with sexualities licit and illicit.

Keywords

child children conflict education Eugenics film gender morality race science war

Editors and affiliations

  • Claudia Nelson
    • 1
  • Ann Sumner Holmes
    • 2
  1. 1.Southwest Texas State UniversityUSA
  2. 2.Honors CollegeLouisiana State UniversityUSA

Bibliographic information