Mothers of the Novel: 100 Good Women Writers Before Jane Austen

Dale Spender's 'Mothers of the Novel' documents 100 women writers who shaped the development of the English novel before Jane Austen. The book presents extensive research into forgotten or overlooked female authors from the 17th to early 19th centuries, including both well-known figures like Aphra Behn and obscure writers whose works had fallen into neglect. The text is structured in three distinct sections: seventeenth-century writers, a comprehensive catalog of 106 early women novelists with their 568 works, and an examination of significant late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth-century authors. This organization allows readers to trace the evolution of women's literary contributions across two centuries. Spender's work represents a crucial intervention in literary history, challenging the traditional male-dominated narrative of the novel's development. The book serves as both a reference work and a foundation for future feminist literary scholarship, recovering an essential chapter in the history of English literature.

Readers value this book for documenting 100+ female authors whose works were popular before being excluded from the literary canon. Several reviews note it changed their understanding of early women's writing and publishing. Readers appreciate: - Details on now-forgotten bestselling authors - Evidence of systematic exclusion of women from literary history - Clear writing and organization of biographical information Common criticisms: - Limited availability/out of print status - Brief coverage of each author - Focus on British/English language writers only Ratings: Goodreads: 4.14/5 (49 ratings) Amazon: No longer listed Sample review quotes: "Eye-opening research on early women novelists who were deliberately written out of history" -Goodreads reviewer "Should be required reading for literature students" -LibraryThing user "Made me realize how many important women writers I'd never heard of" -Goodreads reviewer

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf Chronicles the historical relationship between women and literature through an examination of social, economic, and educational barriers female writers faced.

The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra Gilbert Maps the female literary tradition through analysis of nineteenth-century women writers and their navigation of patriarchal literary conventions.

Women Writers and the Early Modern British Political Tradition by Hilda L. Smith Examines female authors' contributions to political discourse and theory in Britain between 1400-1800.

Writing Women's Literary History by Margaret Ezell Traces the development of women's literary historiography and recovers forgotten voices from the early modern period.

The Rise of the Woman Novelist: From Aphra Behn to Jane Austen by Jane Spencer Documents the emergence of professional women writers in Britain from the Restoration through the eighteenth century.

🔸 Aphra Behn, featured prominently in the book, was the first professional female writer in English literature and worked as a spy for King Charles II before becoming a playwright and novelist. 🔸 The research uncovered that women wrote over 200 more novels than men during the period between 1660 and 1800, challenging the male-dominated narrative of literary history. 🔸 Author Dale Spender discovered that many successful female writers of the 17th and 18th centuries used their earnings to establish schools for girls, creating a cycle of female literacy and empowerment. 🔸 Frances Burney's novel "Evelina" (1778) was initially published anonymously because her father disapproved of women novelists, yet it became a sensation that influenced Jane Austen's writing style. 🔸 Several of the documented women writers were forced to publish under male pseudonyms, including Maria Edgeworth's early works, which were attributed to her father Richard Lovell Edgeworth.