Why is it that the majority of what we study, on English Literature courses, are the writings of dead white men? Yes, they’re influential… yes, they have populist opinions tattooed across their dust jackets. But should literature and academia be about discovering new and unheard pieces of writing, as well as looking at the history of books, poetry and theatre? Well, I think so! Thus, in my abundance of boredom, I have decided to compile a list of female writers and creatives, who often get ignored or put aside, and who I think rock at what they did or do:
Catherine Blake
Catherine Blake – famously known as the wife of William Blake. She played a huge role in her husband’s work – from helping to paint his pieces, the print process of his plates, as well as handling finances and the household. She worked on every aspect of creating these masterpieces, including, colouring the cover of Europe: A Prophecy . Even after her husband’s death, Catherine continued to print William’s poetry and art. Catherine also wrote some of her own material.
Last September, the Tate Britain held a William Blake exhibit and highlighted the contribution Catherine Blake gave towards the production of his work. Sadly, the exhibit closed in February, but information about Blake’s artwork can be found here.
What I like about the Blake’s are the mutual respect between the two – William was definitely thankful for his wife’s help. Supposedly his mythological figure, Enitharmon is based on Catherine – she is a figure who represents beauty and inspiration. Catherine, without a doubt, contributed hugely to his success.
For more information about Catherine Blake – check out this recently published Guardian article:
Virginia Woolf
It wouldn’t be a successful blog about female writers without mentioning Virginia Woolf. I am biased, in the fact that Woolf is my favourite writer, but for me she is beautiful in her creative technique, her narrative voice and the issues she writes about.
During her life, Virginia Woolf prolifically wrote diary entries, essays, short stories, novels and even a play, Freshwater (which I don’t think get’s mentioned often enough). She was born into a family of strong voices – those enamored in the world of politics, art and diverse lifestyles – and this definitely echoes in her own works. Woolf discusses issues with gender, sexuality, love , psychology, mental illness and so much more…
For me, her life which fluctuated between ups and downs is why she is so unbelievable as a writer. She had experienced tragedy, mental blocks, yet still fought through to produce amazing pieces of literature. This space is definitely not big enough to discuss the importance of Woolf, as a female writer, a Modernist and for English Literature on the whole.
She is an unbelievably talented artist, who amazes her readers every time a copy of Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando or To the Lighthouse, is picked up.
For an article on her innovative stream of consciousness style, see this article:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1954/03/06/a-consciousness-of-reality
May Sinclair
May Sinclair was a writer and suffragist, who wrote during the Modernist era – although was a generation older than most Modernists. Only recently have I read Sinclair’s short story, The Life and Death of Harriett Frean, which explores ideas of femininity; generational difference; love and class. Sinclair grew up as the provider for her family, through her writing – showing the intellectual ability of women and incompetence of men – an idea frequently conveyed in her writing. She is also known for her poetry and production of poetry, she often wrote for literary journals – she was the person who coined the phrase ‘stream of consciousness’ in relation to Dorothy Richardson’s writing – an idea which would later be attributed to Virginia Woolf and James Joyce’s writing.
To read Sinclair’s journal piece on Dorothy Richardson, see:
The Egoist Journal, Vol. 5, No. 4 – @ http://www.modjourn.org
She also fought heavily for Women’s Rights. She was a member of the Women’s Suffrage Movement – and was remembered by Sylvia Pankhurst after her death. She also engaged in modern psychological studies, having read Jung and Freud frequently. She was also a supporter of the Medico-Psychological Clinic and Dr. Jessie Murray, where work focused on supporting those suffering from shell shock. May Sinclair supported minority groups, fighting for a dominant voice within her writing and society.
Caryl Churchill
My next ‘kick-ass’ woman is playwright Caryl Churchill. Her works include, Top Girls, Cloud Nine, and Serious Money – plays written in the 1970s and 1980s. She explores feminist and political ideas through her creations, and is experimental in character, language, setting and time. Churchill is very imaginative and out-going in her images, and her questioning of forms and structures are what makes her stand out within the theatre sphere. Churchill challenges patriarchal structures, and perhaps she wouldn’t like to be labelled as a female playwright – but for theatre and female writers alike, she has definitely been influential – and for me, interested in theatre criticism and dramatically- she needed to be included on this list.
Churchill, who is now 81, has written prolifically throughout the years – her writing has been shown and adapted internationally and has won her an endless list of awards, including a Laurence Olivier Award. One of my favourite plays, Cloud Nine completely turns the form of theatre on its head and is when I realised theatre had the power to generate so much discourse and question structures as much as prose has done, over the years.
Churchill is described as ‘theatre’s great disruptor’ by Michael Billington in a Guardian article written to celebrate Churchill’s 80th birthday in 2018 (which can be found here), and for me, her challenging of tradition, conventional theatre and staging is why she is so intriguing.
Feminists everywhere should read her plays!
Bernardine Evaristo
I first discovered Bernardine Evaristo in year one of my BA English Literature degree. We read Mr. Loverman (which you can buy here) – it explores the character, Barry who is 74 and secretly gay. Evaristo’s recognisable London setting, unique characters, and realistic events made me enjoy a piece of modern fiction (for the first time, in a long time). Many of my lecturers are in the same circle as her, so it felt like we got to know the book even better, through these connections. Her activism, writing black protagonists, and about cultures which are excluded within the publishing industry, are embraced within all her writing.
Coincidentally, a few months ago, her new novel, Girl, Woman, Other, gave her more acclaim – it won the Booker Prize and was one of Barack Obama’s Top Books of 2019 – and it was so thrilling to see Evaristo come to fame overnight.She has such a strong and commanding voice, and should definitely be read by everyone – to understand the entirety of London and its diverse culture. Her voice is alive in academia, creative writing and extremely relevant in today’s world…
Find her twitter : @BernardineEvari
Oh! You Little Things 