Even though I know this book was limited by the time in which it was written and the opinion of women who read novels at that time, this book sort of sucked. It's the epitome of a ridiculously romantic woman (i.e. bored out of her mind) who is duped into believing she has a secret admirer who only intends to do her harm and make her look like a fool. Then, along the way, at every opportunity to learn something about herself or the world, she fails miserably. It's hard to believe it was written by a woman, and though I'd like to believe she meant to satirize the tradition of early American woman being brought to ruin by the evil vice of reading, she didn't present that in this book. I don't think Dorcasina actually dies in the end (surprisingly--it's been years since I've read it though, so I could be wrong), but if you actually make it to the end, you kind of wish she would so you can just be done with it.

The story of Dorcasina is funny at first since she is always finding romance in men when the men are only interested in her for her wealth. However, after the fourth misunderstanding on her part in which she believes she has found 'true love' in a man who is duping her, the excitement and hilarity has died down and tampered into annoyance.

A book that I would actually enjoy if not for the repetitive plot twists.

Would recommend 5/10.

My first reaction to this was, "Wow, Dorcasina is an idiot." Then I realized what was going on to make her act the in the ridiculous ways she did and I had a better understanding of her and her situation. Writing done during this time period is not my favorite, and that also was part of the reason why I at first did not enjoy reading this, but once that can be overcome this is not too cumbersome or difficult.

On the surface, one can easily overlook the literary merit of this absurd comedy from Tabitha Tenney. Most readers have never even heard of this novel, and those who have read it were probably convinced of the author's benign intentions. On the surface Female Quixotism appears to be yet another work stemming from the politically and socially motivated "proscriptive movement," which condemned novels for their corrupting influence in the new American Republic. However, the overt moral tone of the author conceals her more subversive ideology. In a strikingly post-modern and self-referential turn, Tenney condemns novels outright, even as she consciously crafts an entertaining novel of her own, replete with violence, fornication and foul language. She disarms her audience by creating a protagonist who appears nearly insane after indulging too frequently in the reading of romance novels. However, by consciously juxtaposing Dorcasina's interpretations of the world with those of more insightful "readers," this novel essentially becomes a lesson in how to critically read and interpret a text. Tenney provides her readers with opportunities to engage with the text, and to draw conclusions on their own, undermining the intentions of the proscriptive movement. Because this novel is a parody of other works of romance, the language is melodramatic and antiquated, and although there are plenty of humorous situations, it is the kind of humor which one would have found funny two hundred years ago and not so much in the 21st century. Also, the author employs post-modern techniques such as confusing the author and the implied author, as well as the novel-within-the-novel.

Female Quixotism: Exhibited in the Romantic Opinions and Extravagant Adventures of Dorcasina Sheldon (Early American Women Writers) by Tabitha Gilman Tenney (1992)

A bit biased here—I teach American lit and also published an academic article on this novel in particular—but I find this novel hilarious, poignant, and empowering. And funny for real, not funny if you squint and adjust your meter for the 18th century

I read this in college and it's still on my book shelf, so I must have enjoyed it.

Pretty crazy book, to be quite honest. Well done in creating the reader who takes the words too literally. Loved it!

Can I give this a half-star? Suffice it to say that I don't recommend this book.

Very repetitive and boring at some points, but definitely had an interesting narrative and underlying meaning to it. I only read this because it was assigned to my EN 452 class. I'm so glad novels have evolved into much better stories than what novelist used to write.

Easily one of the most entertaining (and funniest) early American novels, and a great contribution to post-Quixotic literature (see also Charlotte Lennox’s The Female Quixote, Richard Graves’ The Spiritual Quixote, etc).

This particular story is hilarious. Having been written in a time where authors had to defend the art of the novel, and of novel reading, as well as creating an American identity in literature, this book is one of the top novels to read. The message is clear, the main character pitiable, and the plot is exciting!