for the serious scholar.^44 Indeed, Pugh refers to Emmeline’s My own storyjust
twice in his group biography of the Pankhurst women, and in one instance even
cites the title incorrectly.^45 Such haughty condemnation cannot be sustained.
All sources, whether a personal text such as an autobiography, or an official
document such as a government report or the more general category of
published commentary and reporting, have their characteristic strengths and
weaknesses.^46 In My own story, Emmeline’s voice speaks to us loud and clear as
she presents her moving apologia for the increasing use of violence that she
sanctioned in the women’s suffrage campaign.
I hope that in the following pages I capture something of the magic and
complexity of her personality as well as the double burden that she faced as a
political leader and mother, and that in the process, I do full justice to this femi-
nine feminist who was both of her time and before her time. This book is aimed
at the general reader as well as an academic audience.
INTRODUCTION