Great Literary Sisters

Name: Great Literary Sisters
Price: 34.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781851246212

Janet Phillips

$34.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Bodleian Library
23 April 2026

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Literary studies: general; Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers

Sisterly relationships feature prominently in some of our best-loved classic literature. From Jane and Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice to Hasina and Nazneen in Brick Lane, they have provided inspiration for novelists over the centuries.

Sisters can be best friends, mother figures, rivals, heroes, sounding boards or partners in crime, depending on literary genre, era, or the demands of plot. They can bring into focus the changing roles of women in society, especially in literature that predates the twentieth century, such as Middlemarch, The Woman in White and The Old Wives' Tale. Their bonds with younger or older siblings, like those of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy in Little Women, are often complex and nuanced, and occasionally devastating.

Covering childhood, adventure, affairs of the heart and mental health, this book explores the role of sisters in twenty individual entries, each one providing a synopsis and analysis of the work in question. Including writers as diverse as Charles Dickens, E. M. Forster, J. D. Salinger, Toni Morrison and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, it makes the perfect read for book-loving sisters whatever their connection.

By: Janet Phillips
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm,
ISBN: 9781851246212
ISBN 10: 1851246215
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 23 April 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Janet Phillips is the author of Great Literary Friendships (Bodleian Library Publishing, 2022).