The Odd Women

Gissing's novel The Odd Women explores themes such as the early feminist movement, women's role in society, marriage and morals. The novel's title is presumably derived from the notion that there was an excess of one million women over men in Victorian England. This meant there were "odd" women left over when others paired off in marriage. This novel presents a cross-section of women dealing with this problem as their lifestyle is deemed by the public as strange.