The Heavenly Twins (1893) is a novel by Sarah Grand. Written the same year Grand moved to London, divorced her husband, and created a new identity for herself, The Heavenly Twins explores the feminist ideal of the New Woman. As a pioneering feminist whose marriage ended in bitter disappointment, Grand sought to address the frustrations of women whose every move in life was measured against the expectations of a patriarchal society. In her novel, she explores gender dysphoria, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception as aspects of a wider feminine experience largely ignored in much of English literature. To be a young woman in Victorian England, one grows accustomed to the indignities of daily life. Despite this, Evadne, Angelica, and Edith do their best to live happily while keeping their families satisfied. Evadne struggles to match the realities of married life with the expectations of traditional society. Meanwhile, Edith enters a relationship with a man who seems well-intentioned but harbors a dangerous secret. Angelica, their friend, bristles against the strictures of womanhood. With the help of her twin brother Diavolo, she explores the freedoms afforded young men for nothing more than the gender they were assigned at birth. Dissatisfied with her life, she begins dressing as a man and uses her new identity to expand her social and romantic opportunities. As their lives take tragic and disappointing turns, they begin to understand how so many women end up trapped by marriage and motherhood, unable to pursue their dreams. This edition of Sarah Grand’s The Heavenly Twins is a classic work of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.
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