Book excerpt: Central to literary, social and political writings of nineteenth-century Ireland are arguments regarding men and women's 'proper' sphere. This pioneering volume examines the significance of gender in shaping public and private life during a century of complex and changing power relations. The interdisciplinary character of the collection ensures a rich variety of perspectives. Contributors explore the roles assigned to men and women in political, social and religious institutions and highlight the consequences of these roles. Investigations of the extent to which gender influenced key historical events such as the Great Irish Famine, the 1848 Rising and the Fenian Movement are among the many original insights offered by the volume. Essays range through the central discourses of nineteenth, century Ireland, from political economy and education, to literature and journalism. In an important extension of the literary canon, many neglected writers of the period are restored to attention.