Here’s to a classic that continues to inspire and a heroine who makes us laugh—and dream. Happy birthday, Elizabeth Bennet! And many more.
Tag: Jane Austen
Happy Birthday, Jane Austen! Five Feminist Footnotes
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, and in her 41-year life produced literary works that have enjoyed mass popularity and acclaim that only increases over time. Two hundred years ago, as she enjoyed her 37th birthday, Austen would have been anticipating the publication of her second novel, Pride and Prejudice, arguably the most […]
Rereading Women’s Lit with “Madwoman” Sandra Gilbert
“Is the pen a metaphorical penis? Literary paternity implies ownership!” When I pulled my well-worn copy of Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s 1979 classic The Madwoman in the Attic off the shelf the other day, I found these words scrawled across a Post-it, tucked inside its pages. Not in my handwriting (most likely written by […]
Anne Lister: Jane Austen’s Radical Lesbian Contemporary
Who knew that Jane Austen had a kick-ass lesbian contemporary? Well, she did, and her name was Anne Lister. What’s more, she kept four million words worth of diaries, about a sixth of which were written in a code that took a century to crack. Now, 170 years after her death, Anne Lister’s diaries have […]