Victorian Fiction

British Female Authors

Even though women had a long history of writing and publishing by the turn of the 19th century in Britain, many readers did not take the works of female authors as seriously as those of their male counterparts. Many women published anonymously or used male pen names so that their gender would not negatively bias their readers. This practice can still be seen today, such as when Joanne Rowling disguised her gender by publishing her popular Harry Potter series under the name of J. K. Rowling. You will have a chance in this topic to explore a novel by a female writer that comments on the role and rights of women in 19th-century Britain. First, take a moment to see how many other British female authors you are familiar with. In this interactivity, click the image thumbnails to view the names of famous British female authors and some of their novels published in the 19th century. Click the player button to begin.

View a printable version of the interactivity.