Constance Maynard's Passions: Religion, Sexuality, and an English Educational Pioneer, 1849-1935

‘Phipps has produced a study that is thoughtful, scholarly, and engaging, despite its subject being both difficult to really know, and difficult to like.’

Deirdre Raftery, Historical Studies in Education Spring 2016

‘Phipps’s study is an excellent and fascinating addition to the existing work on Constance Maynard and her times…. It provides intriguing insight into the complexity of Maynard’s life writing.’

Angharad Eyre, Life Writing, September 2017

“At its core, Constance Maynard’s Passions is the story of a fascinating woman who was both a professional pioneer and tormented soul. There is much to learn from her story about the emotional trials of this early generation of educational pioneers.” Jacqueline R. deVries, Professor of History, Augsburg College

&lquo;Here – finally – is a richly detailed biography of Constance Maynard that does full justice to the complexity and significance of her life and work. In clustering faith, desire, and sexual identity Pauline Phipps sheds new light on one woman’s struggle to reconcile human love and divine love. Particularly striking for me in this thoughtful discussion of Maynard’s intense relationships with women is Phipps’s innovative historiographical methodology. In learning more about this compelling life story we also learn more about how to write the history of sexuality.&rquo; Laura Doan, Professor of Cultural History and Sexuality Studies, University of Manchester, and author of Disturbing Practices: History, Sexuality and Women's Experience of Modern War