The title above comes from a poem written by an obscure 17th century female poet. There were quite a few, believe or not. And part of this course will examine not only why women writers are, so often, "obscure," but also how they feel about that, what they have to say about the world around them and women's role(s) in it.

So let's set the stage with a brief introduction to the issues of women and writing.

You might think that "feminist" concerns over the silencing and disparagement of women a fairly recent development in society. Read these two poems, one by the "obscure" poet mentioned above.

Prologue: A poem by the Puritan writer Anne Bradstreet, whose poetry was actually printed during her lifetime. Her brother-in-law "stole" the poems and had them published without her permission. "Great Bartas" was a male poet Bradstreet much admired. The " sweet-tongued Greek" was, I think, Demosthenes.

Introduction: Written by the "obscure" poet mentioned above, Anne Finch, Duchess of Winchelsea. What similarities/differences do you see compared to Bradstreet's poem?

We'll discuss them more fully in class; in the meantime, consider these questions in your class journal:

1. According to these poets, with what concerns must women writers contend? Which seem related to writing/publishing in general? To women in specific?
2. What attitudes do they predict in their audience? What conflicts do you sense in their own attitudes (consider, for example, the tone of the poems)?
3. How might these issues broaden to address women's roles in general?

Some 150 years later, Robert Southey, a major poet at the time (though considered less great now), wrote to Charlotte Bronte (of Jane Eyre fame, now considered a classic) "Literature is not the business of a woman's life, and it cannot be." What do you think he meant and why did he say it?

Fortunately for us, and despite a long-standing conviction that literature is solely a male-provenance, women (those stubborn creatures!) persist in proving Southey wrong, even to the point of driving Nathaniel Hawthorne to complain bitterly about the "damn'd mob of scribbling women," whom, he felt, were stealing his audience. I must add, in his defense,that he retracted the statement later.

TASK:

So, let's begin! Before we delve too deeply into the topic, I want you to take time to write a 2-3 paragraph ejournal explaining your own attitudes about this whole "woman thing." Is there any thing wrong with teaching classes in "women's lit" or "African-American literature" or "Black History Week?" Don't try to be P.C. Just be honest about what you believe or don't believe. Post your writing to the list-serve and respond to one other posting in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. If, perchance, you've forgotten what that means (!), refer to the class handout on Netiquette.

Ready to move on? Then let's start with The Awakening

Click here for The Awakening

click here for poetry

These web pages were designed as part of the A2 English class at BUPS/BIS by Jeri Hurd. Please feel free to email with comments or suggestions.