Publishers have frequently characterised women's literature as a genre of writing by women. Despite the fact that this is obviously correct, many consider such a description to be reductive. The history of women's writing is fascinating since it is, in many respects, a new field of study. Due to women's low status in male-dominated societies, the heritage of women writing has been largely overlooked. It is still not uncommon to find literature seminars or anthologies in which women are significantly outnumbered by male authors, if not completely absent. The task of women's literature, then, is to define and create a field of study for a group of individuals who have been historically marginalised, and to explore their lives via their writing.
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. Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication on the Rights of Women (1792) is a landmark treatise that laid the foundation for many women after her not only to publish their works but also to engage in the overall critical discourse surrounding the issue of women in literature. Born in 1759 in London, Mary Wollstonecraft put an emphasis on authentic self-expression, a literary concept which may nowadays seem ordinary enough, but in Wollstonecraft's day could have sounded vehemently dissident, especially when expressed by a woman, through both her fictional and nonfictional work. Women, after all, were not meant to have a true, authentic self to discover: like a pretty dress, a proper feminine self was designed solely for the masculine taste. Some mocked her, but rarely were her ideas genuinely assessed in the way they have come to be since the second half of the twentieth century. However, as interest in reception history has grown, the extent of her influence in Europe and beyond has been reassessed. It is becoming clear that Wollstonecraft was widely read and regarded as a pioneer of women's rights throughout the world, particularly in America, continental Europe, and Brazil. Even in recent years, scholars have used Wollstonecraft to inform modern feminist debates, particularly those about autonomy, education, and nature.
Less than a few decades later, yet another significant female author makes her entrance into the realm of English literature. Although Jane Austen's reputation has been somewhat secure ever since the mid-nineteenth century, she remains one of the greatest anomalies in literary history. Though very few female authors have occupied such distinguished positions in the ranks of literature, it was not uncommon for women to spark confusion within a male-dominated society. Jane Austen was known to be a divergent figure, appearing in a number of contrasting guises: in the public eye, it was uncertain whether she was a self-effacing aunt, a propagandist of the ruling class, an old maid, or a songbird, unconscious of her art. This was partly due to Austen's distinct writing style, based on a compelling mix of satire, sardonicism, and literary realism; Austen used burlesque and parody to criticise the representation of women in the 18th century English society, providing invaluable insight into the culture of the century. But perhaps what makes Jane Austen one of the most accessible canonical writers is the fact that her characters' experiences and emotions seem quite familiar to us, despite them living in a world that appears remote in time and place. They make snap judgments about people based on their appearances, are embarrassed by their parents, flirt, and fall in love. From a 21st-century high school to an English period drama, her characters face social constraints that can be applied to any setting.
Although women writers in the past tended to focus on domestic lives and societal challenges, it was not until the beginning of the 20th century that female characters in literary works truly began to develop their own expression. Virginia Woolf authored some of the first books that transcended the realm of character and event description. Mrs. Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927) both depict the interior lives of female protagonists as they navigate through definitory life experiences. From her girlhood în her father’s library to the end of her life, Woolf read widely and with passion. She was also an unusually subtle feminist thinker. Virginia Woolf maintained that women's experience, particularly in the women's movement, could be the basis for radical social change, well before WWII and the second wave of feminism. Woolf's participation in the contemporary women's movement (suffragism, as well as the pacifist, working-class Women's Co-operative Guild) paralleled her changing image of feminism in literary publications from 1920 to 1940.
Women's rights, freedoms, and opportunities have become more prominent in most (though not all) of the world over the twentieth century and the new millennium, along with similar advancements for a variety of so-called minority groups. The woman who is still the best-selling female author of our time is J.K. Rowling, the multi-millionaire creator of Harry Potter. Her life story perfectly first the rags to riches fantasy: a divorced single mom writes a mountain of notes in every spare moment she can find and proceeds to create a bestselling fantasy series, which has been captivating millions of children and adults alike, all over the globe. However, it is not well known that, in order to publish her first Harry Potter book, she had to handle rejection from 12 different publishers. Moreover, when she was finally signed by Bloomsbury, editors advised her to publish using her initials J.K. rather than her full name Joanne Kathleen because the market for fantasy books might have been put off by a female name.
Nowadays, some may say that women have conquered the world of fiction, through their state-of-the-art craftsmanship, their unmatched empathy, their conspicuous resourcefulness and their endless talent.
By Miruna Nicolae
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