A brief history of female writers
In this post, we will briefly talk about the history of female writers. We will mainly state how they have been seen throughout the literary tradition and when they have become an important part of it that needs to be studied.
It is well-known that the world of literature has been male-dominated for a long period of time of our history. Most of the literary works that you can find in the market are mainly written by men. You can do the experiment: go to your favorite bookshop and look around, or easier, you just have to stay in a Literature class and you will see that your teacher mainly talks about the most important authors (mainly men writers) of the period you are learning.
So, why have been women overshadowed in literature? For answering this question, we have to go back in time:
Women writers have been considered inferior in societies that have been mainly male-dominated. Those male authors outnumbered the women writers in the early time of the history of English Literature. Sometimes, these women were recognized by male authors such as John Duncombe and George Ballard in their works.
Nevertheless, we can highlight the work of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication on the rights of Women as a landmark in women's writing. This work served as an inspiration for other women to begin writing and publishing, not only about fiction but also critical dissertations about the role of themselves in literature.
However, it is not until the decades of the 1970s and 1980s when we will see a real feminist wave in the history of literature. During this period of time, universities will create courses for researching and investigating about women's history and literature. Apart from that, presses will recover the literary of those women unknown in the past.
Finally, if you want to go in depth with women writers history, it is important that you read the article made by Elizabeth Lee, which is titled "Women in Literature - A Literary Overview". In this article, the author gives an exceptional overview of the different periods of women's writing and the main characteristics of their writing style. I also recommend you to click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnaA5qt2Oo&t=39s, because it contains a video explaining the early women writers that can be found in England and North America.
Bibliography:
It is well-known that the world of literature has been male-dominated for a long period of time of our history. Most of the literary works that you can find in the market are mainly written by men. You can do the experiment: go to your favorite bookshop and look around, or easier, you just have to stay in a Literature class and you will see that your teacher mainly talks about the most important authors (mainly men writers) of the period you are learning.
So, why have been women overshadowed in literature? For answering this question, we have to go back in time:
Women writers have been considered inferior in societies that have been mainly male-dominated. Those male authors outnumbered the women writers in the early time of the history of English Literature. Sometimes, these women were recognized by male authors such as John Duncombe and George Ballard in their works.
Nevertheless, we can highlight the work of Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication on the rights of Women as a landmark in women's writing. This work served as an inspiration for other women to begin writing and publishing, not only about fiction but also critical dissertations about the role of themselves in literature.
However, it is not until the decades of the 1970s and 1980s when we will see a real feminist wave in the history of literature. During this period of time, universities will create courses for researching and investigating about women's history and literature. Apart from that, presses will recover the literary of those women unknown in the past.
Finally, if you want to go in depth with women writers history, it is important that you read the article made by Elizabeth Lee, which is titled "Women in Literature - A Literary Overview". In this article, the author gives an exceptional overview of the different periods of women's writing and the main characteristics of their writing style. I also recommend you to click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnaA5qt2Oo&t=39s, because it contains a video explaining the early women writers that can be found in England and North America.
Bibliography:
- Rivera, A. (2017). The History and Importance of Women's Literature. [online] Blog.bookstellyouwhy.com. Available at: https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/the-history-and-importance-of-womens-literature [Accessed 26 Jun. 2019].
- Pecrus, C. (1826). Woman Reading in an Interior [Image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/repolco/38782021764
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