The position of fiction in the careers of these women is complex. Fiction writing was widely recognized as a 'profession' open to women, supplying ready money for personal expenses and for the social cause. It also permitted access to a broad readership that could not be accessed through pamphlets or periodicals, and it allowed the potential for influential literary celebrity. Moreover, romance and the novel had an important position in female education, and fiction allowed writers to voice some of their most unorthodox opinions."--Pub. desc.