Category: women’s literature

  • Two Women, A World Apart

    Two Women, A World Apart

    Two books give me joy in the New Year. The first, by Sarah Emsley, is The Austens, a novel about Jane Austen’s relationship with her sister-in-law, Fanny Palmer Austen. The second, by Rebecca Romney, is Jane Austen’s Bookshelf, nonfiction about women writers who shaped the English author. Both works are part of the onslaught of…

  • The first (and only) female historian in Georgian England

    The first (and only) female historian in Georgian England

    Georgian England is usually more associated with powdered wigs and aristocratic scandals than radical or revolutionary ideals. However, there were thinkers back then who supported the latter most ardently – and one of them was Catherine Macauley. Little is known about her early life, apart from the fact that she grew up with her brother…

  • Royalties and The Weight of Paper – Jane Austen’s Relationship with her London Publishers

    Royalties and The Weight of Paper – Jane Austen’s Relationship with her London Publishers

    Jane Austen, a renowned novelist, faced financial struggles due to early 19th-century publishing practices and gender biases. Despite limited success, her works like Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice critiqued societal norms and paved the way for future generations of female authors.

  • Romance Tropes Enduring Through the Ages

    Romance Tropes Enduring Through the Ages

    What’s your favorite romantic book trope? Romance tropes are the subject of much debate, but whether you love or hate them, they are a staple of modern romance books. Have you ever stopped to think about where they first appeared?