Kroch Library exhibition highlights 19th-century English women writers

"English Women in the Literary Marketplace 1800-1900," the spring exhibition from Cornell Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, showcases a collection of books, letters, magazines and photographs documenting English women's writing in the 19th century.

The exhibition opens Friday, Feb. 8, in the Carl A. Kroch Library. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 1 to 5 p.m.

This exhibition explores the ways in which 19th-century women authors were able to succeed in a profession dominated by men, operating in a culture that frowned upon female literary ambition. On view will be the works of such celebrated writers as Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Charlotte Brontë and George Eliot, as well as some of their less-remembered sisters who worked to extend opportunities for women in Victorian print markets.

The books and letters in the exhibition present a cross section of writing by English women in the 19th century -- a century in which women entered the literary marketplace in unprecedented numbers. While many women wrote and published books before 1800, few British women planned for careers as writers until that time. Although there were notable and celebrated exceptions, women were generally excluded from most areas of literature until the end of the 18th century. By the end of the 1800s, however, women wrote an estimated 20 percent of all material published in England, a remarkable change in just three generations.

"Many of the books in the exhibition don't reveal that the authors were female," said Katherine Reagan, the library's curator of rare books. "It was common for female writers to publish under a pseudonym until well into the 19th century." This cloak of anonymity was important for women, she said, as female assertion and self-revelation was viewed as unwomanly. Writing under a man's name could provide protection from criticism for unladylike thoughts or behavior and could increase the chances for an impartial review.

Original letters in the exhibition provide insight into the relationships between female authors and their male publishers and editors. Written by a number of novelists to the London publishing firm George Bentley and Son, the letters reveal how the authors carefully, yet boldly, negotiated their way through the editorial and publishing process in an environment that frequently devalued women's writing.

"English Women in the Literary Marketplace" also highlights Cornell's growing collection of Victorian novels by women. Novels of the Victorian era have become increasingly difficult to locate, particularly those that are still in fine condition. In 1996, the library began purchasing novels by minor Victorian women writers from an antiquarian bookseller in England. Cornell's rare book collection now holds more than 1,500 of these novels, including many titles not found in any other research library.

For more information about the exhibition or Cornell's collection of Victorian novels, contact Reagan at 255-3530 or kr33@cornell.edu.