Female Writers Who Changed the Literary World

Literature would not be the same without the female authors of the world. Throughout history, they have been breaking barriers and challenging the status quo through writing. Be it revolutionary voices during the early 18th-century feminist movement or 21st-century contemporary authors, women have transformed the landscape of literature. 

Sappho

Sappho was a Greek poet who lived during the 6th century BCE. She is considered by many to be the first female writer. Even Plato sang her praises and referred to her as “the tenth muse.” Her writing was of adoration and love, mainly for female subjects. For this reason, the words sapphic and lesbian are now descriptors for homosexuality. Before her, Greek poetry primarily consisted of gods and muses. Sappho was one of the first writers to use the first person and write about personal loss and love. Despite the mystery and controversies surrounding her unknown history, she is celebrated for her influence as a feminist role model. 

Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley 

English writer Mary Wollstonecraft authored one of the most significant works of the early feminist movement: A Vindication of the Rights of Women. She was a passionate advocate for education and social equality for women, and she is said to have laid the foundation for the women’s rights movement as we know it today. Her daughter, Mary Shelley, was also a pioneering female author. She was initially known for promoting the works of her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley. In due course, Shelley combined science and supernatural elements to write Frankenstein, which is said to be the world’s first science-fiction novel. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe is best known for her anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The novel depicts life for African American slaves in the mid-19th century. Not only did it receive high praise and harsh criticism, it also propelled her and the issue of slavery into the spotlight. Throughout her life, Stowe wrote more than 20 books about social issues of the day, including the women’s right to vote. By writing at a time when women were denied the right to vote and had no representation, Stowe used literature as her political voice. 

Jane Austen

Jane Austen died at the mere age of 41, yet she exerted a lasting influence on English literature which surpasses many others who lived twice as long. Her novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma, defined the romance genre and continue to influence it. However, her novels were more than just that - her writing examined women’s role in society and their dependency on marriage. Despite her short time spent writing, she remains one of the most well-known and admired writers in literary history. 

Maya Angelou 

A novelist, poet, actress, dancer, and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou experienced the brutal truth of racism while growing up in Missouri and Arkansas. She was, perhaps, most famous for her best-selling autobiographical book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings which tells of her upbringing in the South. Notably, it was one of the first books written by a black woman that garnered widespread readership. Angelou’s work has been used in schools to shed light on racism, feminism, and single motherhood. Simultaneously, many schools have banned it for its graphic depictions of childhood rape and sexuality. 

Agatha Christie 

The mystery writer Agatha Christie is the world’s best-selling novelist and most translated author. The only works that have sold more than hers are the Bible and Shakespeare’s pieces. Her novel And Then There Were None is the world’s best-selling mystery at 100 million copies to date. She created memorable and dignified characters such as the well-known Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Known as the “Queen of Crime”, Christie’s sharp structure combined with the unique, psychological spins of her literature makes her one of the best writers in history. 

While the list could go on forever, these are just six of the many female authors who have changed the literary world through their writing. Without them, literature would not be the same. 

Citations: 

How powerful female authors have SHAPED literature, From Jane Austen to jodi picoult. (2019, December 12). Retrieved from https://gosparkpress.com/powerful-female-authors-shaped-literature-jane-austen-jodi-picoult/

Trombetta, S. (2017, March 14). 13 female authors who have Broken barriers, in honor of Women's History Month. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/13-female-authors-who-have-broken-barriers-in-honor-of-womens-history-month-43724