This book examines women's writing in Italy from Unification to the present day, exploring the lives and works of women writers within the context of Italian history, culture and politics. The changing face of Italian social and political life since Unification has greatly affected the position of women in Italy. This work discusses the relation between the changing role of women over this period, their struggle for social and political emancipation and equality, and the search by women writers for a personal and authentic literary voice. Wood's other publications include "Woman as Object: Narrative and Gender in the Work of Alberto Moravia" (1990). The series provides a survey, country by country of women's writing from the beginnings of the major struggle for emancipation up to the present day. While the main emphasis is on literature, the social, political and cultural development of each country provides a context for understanding the position and preoccupations of women writers. Modern critical currents are also taken into account in relating feminist criticism to recent critical theory. Other volumes in this series include "Norwegian Women's Writing 1850-1990" and the forthcoming "Swedish Women's Writing 1850-1990".