Memoirs of Scandalous Women

"These memoirs all come from women forced to live lives of impropriety, often after ill-treatment from unscrupulous men. Their tales of survival in the face of extreme hardship and privations make inspirational and compelling reading. This collection highlights the provocative challenges to constructions and understanding of the female character. They force readers to question the perceived rigidity of gender, class and sexual norms and contest the sexual double standards that lay at the heart of eighteenth-century culture."--Publisher description.