The Center of the Web

The Center of the Web examines the complexities of how solitude is perceived by women. Each contributor describes how solitude is a dimension of her personal and public life: how she defines it, if and how she seeks it, where she finds it, and how it influences her life. The voices in the book come from varied vantage points, illuminating women's perspectives of solitude with regard to class, culture, race, and sexual identity. Some essays are grounded in philosophy, literature, or psychology, others are autobiographical, and some confront the seeming dichotomy of solitude on one hand, and care, connection, and responsibility on the other. With the contemporary focus on women's experiences grounded in context and connection to others, this book presents a perspective often overlooked or unexamined.