There is a saying that true pieces of art are not fully appreciated until long after the artist is dead. I think that this saying couldn’t be more true. While I could talk all day about various artists in which their works were lost until later on, today I wish to focus on the world of literature.
Present Day, literature is a vast and wide market that has been commercialized, diversified, and almost anyone can write almost anything, anywhere. However, this wasn’t always the case.
Historically, the attitude towards writing was an academic pursuit, and in that time period the only acceptable participants of that field were men. Now you may argue that there were many many classics that were written by women, Jane Austen, the Brontë Sisters, Mary Shelly, and more. However it is rarely discussed on how these women got to where they are today, and the hardships that came with their writing careers.
Back then women were merely viewed to marry, have children, and manage a household. A respectable career was out of the question for any woman as it was deemed as inappropriate. As a result, opportunities for education and livelihoods were scarce for women.
Jane Austen may be one of the most beloved classical authors of all time, writing her most famous works, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Emma, and more. However, at the beginning of her career, her novel Sense and Sensibility, was published anonymously as “A Lady” and continued to do so for her other works. Many would ought to be confused, as to the reason why she published anonymously rather than just using her real name?
In Jane Austen’s case, her regard to publish anonymously was due to the external pressure of the public; in her time women were not taken seriously for their work; therefore, she published anonymously in hopes to preserve judgment and let her work be critiqued for the sake of her work rather than face jugement simply because she was a woman.
Austen’s identity wasn’t revealed until after her death in 1817. Her brother Henry Austen wrote a biographical note in the publications of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, declaring that Jane Austen was the author, and of her other works.
The same can be said about the Brontë Sisters, Charlotte, Anne, and Emily. They too published anonymously except under male pen names; under Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. They first published a collection of poems in which they all contributed. The sisters had made a pact amongst themselves to remain anonymous to protect their reputation and to keep their work free from bias.
However, as the publication of Charlotte's work Jane Eyre came out, the novel began to become successful. And with success comes fame, and fame leads to rumors. While the other sisters worked on their projects there were rumors that were speculating that Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell were the same person. And because of this, it caused the sisters to act.
While Anne and Emily did not appreciate the idea of conveying their true identities to their publisher, Charlotte encouraged them. Emily was not easily convinced, so she refused to follow Charlotte and Anne’s plan.
Charlotte and Anne traveled to London in July of 1848 in order to confide and tell their publishers and editors their real identities.
Overall, the sisters faced many obstacles in their careers, but eventually as modern society developed and started to become more inclusive, their works became even more cherished.
Women have long been forced into the shadows due to the patriarchy of societal norms, but it was those women behind the page of written word who fought for equality through storytelling. Let us not forget those women, those people who gave us the opportunity that we now have today.
Thanks to them, we can now indulge in any form of literature from any time period written by anyone, and continue telling each other our stories that deserve to be heard.
Author's Note: There will be an upcoming post about the life of Mary Shelly, her past has much depth that will be touched later on.
Sources:
“British Library.” The British Library, www.bl.uk/womens-rights/articles/women-authors-and-anonymity#:~:text=Hardly%20surprising%20then%20that%20in,Currer%2C%20Ellis%20and%20Acton%20Bell.
Brooke, Rachel. “Privacy for Public-Minded Authors Part I.” Authors Alliance, 25 Oct. 2022, www.authorsalliance.org/2022/10/25/privacy-for-public-minded-authors-part-i.
McHugh, Kirsty. “Out of Obscurity I Came – to Obscurity I Can Easily Return”: Charlotte Brontë, Currer Bell and Jane Eyre – National Library of Scotland Blog. blog.nls.uk/out-of-obscurity-i-came-to-obscurity-i-can-easily-return-charlotte-bronte-currer-bell-and-jane-eyre.
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