Vessels of meaning: women's bodies, gender norms, and class bias from Richardson to Lawrence

Introduction – Sentimental authority: The female body in the novels of Samuel Richardson – Frances Burney and the embodiment of delicacy – "The feeders of men": Food and the nurturing woman in Dickens and Thackeray – Spinsters and food in Cranford and Villette – Women's work and working women – The servant’s body in Pamela and Lady Chatterley’s Lover – Conclusion: Virtue’s reward or the mother's recompense.