Mary Anne Evans, otherwise known as George Elliot, was a prominent Victorian novelist. As a woman, she wrote under a pseudonym to avoid prejudice against her work by society’s male biased gender stance. A political player, many of her works highlighted current political issues, and unlike many of her fellow authors, she focused on the lower working class, instead of the upper aristocracy, and let her characters identify Agnostically, which was very abnormal for her time. Mary Anne Evans was a self-made success, who highlighted social issues, ad thrived against adversity in a male dominated world.
Mary Ann Evans, who wrote under the penname George Elliot, was born on the twenty-second of November, 1819, in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. A prominent Victorian novelist, she wrote many major works such as: The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1872), and Daniel Deronda (1876). Mary Ann Evans was the third child of Robert Evans (1773–1849) and Christiana Evans (1788–1836)...
On March 25, 1925 one of the greatest American short story writers was brought into the world. An only child, Mary Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia to Regina Cline and Edward O’Connor. O’Connor was very close to her father and when she was sixteen he was diagnosed with disseminated lupus, a disease that was untreatable at that time. She was devastated when he died soon after being diagnosed.
Author Edith Hamilton was born on August 12, 1867 in Dresden, Germany while her mother was visiting relatives. Hamilton started to study Latin at the age of seven, memorized passages from the Bible and could also recite poetry. Even as a young girl, she was a "natural storyteller. " She was determined to get a good education. After receiving her B.A. and M.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1894 she studied the classics in Germany.
Thaden, Barbara. The Maternal Voice in Victorian Fiction: Rewriting the Patriarchal Family. New York: Garland, 1997.
Mary Mahoney was born free on May 7th 1845 in Durchester, Massachussetts after her parents moved from the slave state of North Carolina. She was the eldest of three children, and began showing interest in a nursing career as a teenager. She began working as an untrained practical nurse but soon found that she needed to make more money and began working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children at the age of 18 as a maid, cook, laundress and occasionally as a nurse 's assistant.
Woolstoncraft, Mary. A Vindication of The Rights of Woman. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd Ed. Volume D. Ed. Martin Puchner. New York: Norton, 2013. 134-136. Print.
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
Thus, the historical background of Mary Barton is as much, if not more important than its strictly novelistic aspects. Manchester becomes a symbol of the outrageous conditions endured by the laborers, instead of a real city in itself. It is always grimy, oppressive, and ugly, just like the lives of its inhabitants.
James clearly resists historical interpretation which would fill in the blanks with knowledge on social groups. Yet, through analysis of the Governess and Mile’s relationship by placing their narration and dialogue in a socio-historic context the battle is revealed between desires and demands. Awareness of Victorian sexual commencement allows readers to trace the development of the two characters transformations from pupil and teacher to lover and mistress.
Fisher, Jerilyn, and Ellen S. Silber. Women In Literature : Reading Through The Lens Of Gender..
...a classic British author who observed and wrote on society in the late 1700s. Her comedic dramas focused on women and their journey through society even though her own remained stagnant.
Hurston portrays women as independent and capable of infinite possibilities. Many aspects contribute to how an author, male or female, portrays his or her female characters. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Wharton, and Hurston all illustrate their own perception of women based upon personal experience and social acuity of their particular era. The portrayal of women in American Literature is based solely upon an author’s personal opinion and interpretation and does not necessarily symbolize the true spirit and quintessence of women as one. Bibliography:..
In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, the idea of patriarchy ruled the many societies all over the world. Particularly in Britain, its “overarching patriarchal model” (Marsh) had “reserved power and privilege for men” (Marsh). Also during this time period feminist literature began to arise and was invaded by, “the complex social, ethical, and economic roots of sexual politics… as testimony to gender bias and the double standard” (“Sexual Politics and Feminist Literature”). In Jane Austen’s writing, readers have been aware of her constant themes of female independence and gender equality. However, many have criticized the author for the fact that many of her “individualistic” female characters have ended up
Mary Wollstonecraft effected the lives of many women. One significant woman that Mary Wollstonecraft had an effect on was Margaret Fuller. Margaret’s father, Timothy Fuller, had a need for an intellectual companion. Because he did not have a son as his first born, he gave Margaret an education intended only for males of the time. He was also an advocate for women’s rights, playing a major role in the development of Margaret’s feminist views she possessed later on in life.2 He used Wollstonecraft’s novel as a guide for Margaret’s education and instilled in Margaret that there are no limits to the female mind. Mr. Fuller pushed Margaret’s education to the limits, teaching her subjects intended for both women and men alike. He educated her about history and literature, topics thought good for a woman and useful when becoming a wife as well as teaching her top...
(5) Aeron Haynie, Imperialism and the Construction of Femininity in Mid-Victorian Fiction(Gainesville: University of Florida, Ph.D. dissertation, 1994).
Agatha Christie was born on September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England as Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller (“Agatha Christie”, Biography). Her parents were Fredrick Miller and Clarissa Boehmer. She was the youngest of three whose names were Margarite also known as “Mage”, Louis, and Montant also known as “Monty” (Morgan 2). Her parents were a prominent middle-class family and her mother taught Christie at home. Her mother was very passionate about her being able to write which Agatha Christie was already showing great talent before the age of sixteen. However, she did not start to publish her work until later.