Anna Funder is an Australian author who is trained in English literature, German, and human rights law. She has written several books, three of which (including Wifedom) have won awards and are international best-sellers. In addition to her career as a best-selling author, which figures prominently in the book, she is also a wife and mother. Despite her significant successes in multiple professional arenas, Funder explains that she feels a kinship with Eileen in their shared experience as women—specifically women who are wives and mothers. Although Funder’s marriage is largely equitable and she and her husband are happy together, she shows that even with a supportive partner, women in the modern era tend to shoulder a larger share of the domestic labor. Funder’s own experience is important to the book not just because she is the author, but because she connects herself to the other two primary figures: Eileen and Orwell. Like Eileen, Funder is a wife who finds herself being smothered by the domestic expectations of <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Book Club Questions" href="https://www.supersummary.com/wifedom/book-club-questions/#696780">wifedom</a> and motherhood. She therefore uses her own experiences to imagine how Eileen must have felt about her life with Orwell, especially given all the work that was required to keep the family afloat and to keep Orwell writing.

Anna Funder

Eileen O’Shaughnessy

George Orwell

Lydia Jackson

Georges Kopp

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Books & Literature

Values & Ideas

Books on Justice & Injustice

Gender

Books that Feature the Theme of Femininity

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Women's Studies

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Get ready to explore Wifedom and its meaning. Our full analysis and study guide provides an even deeper dive with character analysis and quotes explained to help you discover the complexity and beauty of this book.

Wifedom Summary and Study Guide

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Background

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1: “Wifedom, a Counterfiction”

Part 1 Wifedom Part 1 Summary & Analysis

Part 2: “Invisible Warrior”

Part 2 Wifedom Part 2 Summary & Analysis

Part 3: “Invisible Worker”

Part 3 Wifedom Part 3 Summary & Analysis

Part 4: “Happy Ending”

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Part 5: “Afterlife”

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Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life

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