That emphasis on women’s minds — specifically their fear, self-loathing, and self-doubt, too often ignored by those around them — is what made Jackson such an enduring author. She gave voice to taboo feelings, and made them important. Doing so made her financially successful — Jackson was one of the few women in the mid-20th century who was able to earn a living as a writer. But as Sady Doyle recently pointed out , her finances were always controlled by her husband, whose encouragement of her work always carried the shadow of exploitation, as his own career floundered. In Shirley, that double-edged sword is evident in Stanley and Shirley’s interactions, which most often begin and end with a cry for attention from a man who wants his wife to stimulate him intellectually, but also sit at the dinner table with him every night — never mind the fact that it’s her writing that provides the food.