A Cultural Biography of Virago Press: Feminist Politics and Publishing Networks 1973-1999

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This thesis creates a cultural biography of seminal feminist publishing house Virago from 1973-1999. It analyses the determinants of Virago's publishing decisions, investigating both their network of personal relationships and contribution to the formation and dissemination of feminist thinking. I have three primary research questions:How did Virago cultivate a publishing network that interacted with late twentieth-century feminisms?How can an understanding of Virago's networking practices affect an analysis of the literary genres thatthey published?How did Virago disseminate feminist thinking through their network and publication choices?The project takes shape by dividing its timeline into three periods: 1973-1982, 1982-1994 and 1994-1999. Period one scrutinizes the methods and motivations behind Virago's networking and begins examining the limited titles initially published. Period two analyses Virago's effect on the literary marketplace and feminist debate as their influence becomes increasingly apparent; this period will provide a range of sources for literary and genre analysis. Period three inspects Virago's changing politics and asks whether Virago can continue as feminist under the ownership of a publishing conglomerate. My methodological concerns address how Virago affected the pre-emergent, emergent and dominant discourses during this period.