Who Runs the World? Women Writers and Social Commentary In the Eighteenth Century.

Jessica Kane, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of English, Albion College.

Tuesdays. 2:00 pm. – 4:00 pm. October 5, 12, 19, 26. In Person. Class size unlimited.

Novels in eighteenth-century Britain were considered the trashy entertainment of their day, and women who wrote them courted scandal by putting themselves in the public eye. A number of women writers published their work despite the scorn, and used their pens to comment on important social issues as well as tell a good story. This class will explore two novels, The Female Quixote by Eliza Haywood (1752), and The Woman of Colour by Anonymous (1808), that feature female protagonists and take on some of the major conversations of their day. We will read and analyze instructor-provided sections from each text, discuss the issues they are addressing (women readers and imagination in Female Quixote, sexism and racism in Woman of Colour), and consider the stories’ connection to our present day.