WOMEN WRITING
• Women's literature has often been defined by
publishers as a category of writing done by women.
• What makes the history of women's writing so
interesting is that in many ways it is a new area of
study.
• The tradition of women writing has been much
ignored due to the inferior position women have
held in male-dominated societies.
It is still not unheard of to see literature classes or
anthologies in which women are greatly outnumbered
by male writers or even entirely absent.
Before the introduction of women's literary history
colleges into academia and the renewed efforts of
scholars to explore, recover, and preserve the literary
tradition, women themselves were often the only
champions of themselves, their contemporaries, and
their predecessors.
Occasionally there were men who spoke out
alongside women.
• Some of the first recorded attempts to note women's
contributions to literature were catalogs published
in the 18th century and were written by men.
• Yet for the most part, the majority of people
interested in reading and responding to works
written by women were other women.
• One prime example of this is The Female Advocate:
A Poem Occasioned by Reading Mr
Duncombe's Feminead (1774) by Mary Scott
• The poem was Scott's first publication and is
notable because it praises other women writers
publishing at the time, including children's writer
Sarah Fielding and Anna Laetitia Barbauld, a writer
whose political opinions eventually led to her being
blacklisted after she published an inflammatory
poem on her disagreement with the
British Empire's involvement in the Napoleonic
wars
• Second wave feminism in the '70s and '80s sparked
a resurgence in forging a place for the works of
women.
• Colleges began offering courses in
women's history and literature.
• Presses were founded that dedicated themselves to
publishing lost or ignored works by women.
The Evolution of Female Writers:
• By the 19th century, “reform was an extremely
influential aspect of journalism and urban life”
• Thus, women began to take larger roles in society
and project their voices through their writings.
• Women writers have been subject to cruel and
degrading remarks for centuries, even before Anne
Bradstreet responded to the male suggestion that
women are more suitable holding a “needle” than a
“pen” (Lauter 439)
Sarah Willis Parton (Fanny Fern), through Hints to
Young Housewives (1852) and Independence (1859),
powerfully exerted her issues regarding gender
inequality and freedom for women,.
she directly addresses the unjust and negative
criticism that women writers received from male
authors during her time .
Women writers, such as Harriet Jacobs, often
doubted themselves to express their struggles,
subsequently forcing them to live in fear of their
writing careers.
Although women writers have gained more respect
and acknowledgement since the 19th century, they
still experience hardship against the disrespect they
receive from male writers, readers, and critics.
Modern women writers face the challenge of being
unaccepted in the literary world, often having to
prove the worthiness and importance of their
works, being categorized in ways different to men,
and still have been subject to unethical remarks.
Such struggles not only reside in women writers in
America, but also in China and Greece, where the
literary art still remains a male practice.
Although women now have more freedom to write,
many of their struggles are similar to those of the
19th century women writers.
Fanny Fern was an American novelist and columnist
who attacked issues of women's rights, domesticity,
and the male dominated society with humor
Fern was one of the most well known authors of the
19th century, and was the most highly paid author in
America at the time (Samuels 28).
She was also the first woman in America to
consistently write a newspaper column, in her case, in
The New York Ledger.
Originally, Fern hoped to launch her literary career
through her brother, N.S. Willis; however he stated
that her writing was too “vulgar” and suggested that
she should continue with her needlework instead,
• Such a comment from her brother emphasizes the extent
to which men controlled women, even within the
boundary of family.
• Fern illustrates a great sense of wit in Hints to Young
Housewives and Independence, satirically depicting
gender inequality in society.
• Fern expresses her anger towards male editors and
authors and their selfishness and total disregard for
women writers, in addition to their unjust treatment of
her
• It is evident that in her time, men were in control of
literary art and such insight on the struggles of
women writers were highlighted.
• She closes Critics with a highly satirical statement:
“A man never stoops to a meanness. There never
was criticism yet, born of envy, or malice, or
repulsed lose, or disappointed ambition.
Using humor to address serious social issues was a
trademark in Fern's writing – a technique that was
used consistently and effectively throughout Male
Criticism on Ladies Books as well.
Fanny Fern has been one of the most powerful female
writers who address the issues of gender inequality;
Harriet Jacobs shines another light on the same issue
—that of the relationship between a black female
slave and white slave owners.
• Jacobs, in Incidents of the Life of a Slave Girl
(1861), recounts her experience as a slave, under
her pseudonym Linda Brent, describing her
struggles with sexual exploitation, mistreatment by
her owners, and family relation.
• After her freedom had been established, Jacobs
gained the ability to write.
• . However, Jacobs struggled from doubt to retell
her story to the public
Although women writers in the 19th century struggled
to be taken seriously in the literary world, as a black
woman Jacobs not only faced criticism from men, but
from the entire white population of readers.
“In her desire to go public with the worst facts of
slavery, she was exposing herself to possible censure
form the very group of women least likely to have
shared the same experience,” states Glenna Matthews,
author of The Rise of Public Woman: Woman's Power
and Woman's Place in the United States, 1630-1970
(1992
• Jacobs not only addresses issues of slavery, but
also asserts the fact that a woman has the right to
choose another man after being a victim of sexual
harassment, which consequently places an
emphasis on her courage.
• picking up a pen” held a great significance, but
Jacobs challenged what was feared in order to
reveal the corruption of the unjust world that she
lived in.
It can be suggested, however, that her taking up of a
persona, Linda Brent, helped her achieve this.
Many women writers in the 19th century, including
Fanny Fern and Harriet Jacobs felt it was necessary to
publish their writings under their pseudonyms.
While some male authors such as Jozef Korzeniowski
(Joseph Conrad) and Eric Arthur Blair (George
Orwell) also used pseudonyms, their use of a
pseudonym was a form of artistic expression, rather
than a tool to conceal their true identity from the male
dominated literary world (Sanders
. Fern used a different name as an effort to keep her
identity anonymous while writing for the New York
Ledger
Jacobs used her pseudonym Linda Brent in Incidents
in the Life of a Slave Girl in order to recount her
harsh experience as a slave without having to face her
fear of criticism from the white population .
Although Parton and Jacobs used female pseudonyms
in their publications, other authors in the 19th century
and contemporary authors today make use
pseudonyms as well.
While Fern and Jacobs used female pseudonyms,
Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot), author of Silly
Novels by Lady Novelists and Louisa May Alcott
(A.M. Barnard), author of renowned novel Little
Women (1880) felt the need to use male pseudonyms
to attain recognition in the literary world (Sanders).
The use of male pseudonyms is common for
contemporary women writers as well, such as for
Alice Bradley Sheldon (James Tiptree) and Joanne
Rowling (J.K
• “A male name seemed like good camouflage. I had
the feeling that a man would slip by less observed.
• However, Joanne Rowling, author of the Harry
Potter series, was urged to change her name to
'J.K.' Rowling by her publishers.
• The publishers claimed that Rowling would not
attract enough young boys—who were the target
audience—if they knew a woman had written the
series.
Although roughly two centuries have passed since the
Victorian era, it is clear that women writers still
struggle for recognition and acknowledgement,
especially in the literary genres where men appear
more dominant than women.
Although it is evident that there has been significant
change in men's perspective on women since the 19th
century as Howard believes that “at higher levels, a
talented male writer would have an easier journey
than a talented female writer, who might very well get
bad reviews
suggesting that although there has been improvement
in the status of women writers since the 19th century,
they still do not find complete freedom in taking part
in an art that has been controlled by men and are still
subject to discrimination.
In a generation where women writers are flourishing
by the minute and have the freedom to publish; the
struggle of convincing the public (mostly the male
audience) of the importance and credibility of their
work still remains a reoccurring issue.
• Male criticism and the lack of gender equality in
the literary world is not the only thing that women
writers face in the 21st century.
• Within fiction, there is an arising category labeled
as “women's fiction,” which has been listed in a
variety of online bookstores, such as Amazon.
• The category includes a variety of women writers
from different time periods
The category of “women's fiction” is not the only
category women writers are fixated in – the
emergence of the group “American Women
Novelists” now categorizes the women authors
themselves.
She noticed that over time, editors have been moving
women novelists from the category of “American
Novelists” to the subcategory of “American Women
Novelists.
However, the subcategory appears specific to women
novelists, the main category of “American Novelists”
consists of men only
Emmanuel Roidis, a Greek novelist and critic,
once stated that women should write “about
needlework and cooking” and when addressing
social and political issues, they are portrayed as
imitators of the male gender (Dyck)
Due to such degrading claims, Greek women
writers often doubted themselves, and even now,
believe that calling themselves “women writers”
would risk their reputation in society (Dyck).
Similar to writing in modern Greek culture, writing in
modern Chinese culture still remains a male practice.
The novels written by Lu Yin and Chen Hengzhe
explore the concerns of women writers and argue that
women's writings in modern Chinese culture are
perceived as an idea rather than a reality
However, like American women writers, women
writers in China have been slowly taking over
literature as centuries pass.
• Since the 19th century, issues concerning the status
of women writers have changed in America.
• Since the 19th century, issues concerning the status
of women writers have changed in America.
• The success of women writers have increased and
now, they do not face as much unjust gender based
remarks regarding their writing.
• Women—and their voices – have emerged and
been heard by the public with more recognition and
success.
• However, the issue of gender inequality still
remains in the literary world.
• Man still stands as the dominant figure, and woman
is forced to “prove” her worthiness; such
discrimination is not specific to American women
writers.
• status of women in the literary world has improved
since the 19th century, but there remain countless
issues that need to be addressed and changed. In a
concluding note, I would like to share the wise
Books to read
• Coming to birth by ouludhe
• So long a letter by mariam ba
• I swear by apollo –margaret ogola
