If you’d like a taste of a classic author’s work but don’t have the time or patience to read a tome, consider the novella form. Here we’ll look at novellas by classic women authors that make great introductions to to their work.
What defines a novella? It’s generally based on word count of between 17,000 and 40,000, though it isn’t always so cut and dry. The Awakening by Kate Chopin is often described as a novella, though as far as word count, it’s slightly outside that parameter. Read More→
Charlotte Brontë (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855), the British novelist best known for Jane Eyre, was born in Thornton, a small West Yorkshire village in England.
She was born into a clerical family that valued education; she became the family chronicler and champion.
Charlotte lead the charge for herself and her two brilliant sisters, Emily and Anne, in their quest to become published authors.
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Georgia Douglas Johnson (September 10, 1880 – May 14, 1966) was an American poet and playwright associated with the Harlem Renaissance.
Born Georgia Douglas Camp in Atlanta, Georgia, she grew up in a mixed-race family with African American, Native American, and English roots.
Her poetry addressed issues of race as well as intensely personal yet ultimately universal themes including love, motherhood, and being a woman in a male-dominated world. Read More→
Willa Cather (December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947), author of classic American fiction, was born in Winchester, Virginia. At nine years of age, she moved with her family from the staid, conservative life of Virginia society to Red Cloud, Nebraska.
Growing up among hardworking European immigrants who worked the land inspired some of her best-known novels, including O Pioneers! and My Antonia.
In this untamed landscape, young Willa Sibert Cather rode her pony about to get to know her foreign-born neighbors who were homesteading on the Great Plains. She observed their struggles to conquer an unforgiving land with its extremes of droughts, blizzards, storms, and prairie fires. Read More→
Edith Wharton (January 24, 1862 – August 11, 1937), was born Edith Newbold Jones in New York City. One of the Grande Dames of American letters, everything about her — from her wealthy background to her stately demeanor — suggests a woman in possession of herself.
Beneath the surface, however, was a deep insecurity about her talent and abilities. Fortunately, it was one she gradually overcame in a substantial way.
Most of us have heard the expression “Keeping up with the Joneses.” But it might come as a surprise that this doesn’t refer to a hypothetical family, but Edith Wharton’s parents, George Frederic Jones and Lucretia Rhinelander Jones. Read More→
Colette (January 28, 1873 – August 3, 1954) was a French author whose original name was Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. In her lifetime, she was known for her writing as much as for her sensational lifestyle.
Her mother, Sido, was her greatest inspiration. She allowed the young Colette to drink deeply from the well of life to gain experience and express her individuality.
Colette’s novels and stories featuring strong female characters were often inspired by her own experiences. Bold and sexually expressive, her stories were rather scandalous for their time, though the public loved them.
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Launching The Provincial Freeman, an abolitionist newspaper, in Windsor, Ontario, gave Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823 – 1893) the distinction of being the first woman publisher of any race or background in Canada, and the first Black woman publisher in all of North America.
In her role as editor and writer forThe Provincial Freeman, Mary Ann advocated for the Black community in the U.S. and Canada. She worked tirelessly to break down the dual barriers of race and gender.
Later an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement in the U.S., she also lectured widely on education and self-reliance. Later in life, she earn a law degree, becoming the second Black American woman attorney.
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Lydia Maria Francis Child (1802 –1880) was an American author, social reformer, journalist, and abolitionist. Later in life, her views became a bit muddled, but as a mid-19th-century author, she’s still considered influential. Here’s a compilation of honest and insightful quotes by Lydia Maria Child.
A native of Medford, Massachusetts, she was educated despite her father’s disapproval. Child’s passion for learning led to her writing many works of fiction and nonfiction, as well as her dedicated advocacy of the rights of women and Native Americans. Read More→
