Many groundbreaking and influential female authors hail from Great Britain. From Jane Austen to Virginia Woolf, these authors demonstrated to the world that women were just as creative, intelligent and talented as any man. Although writing was once considered an unsuitable and distasteful profession for women, these women broke down the barriers barring women from the writing profession and bravely paved the way for thousands of future female authors.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Hampshire. The daughter of a rector, Jane Austen took an interest in writing at a young age. Her earliest known writings date back to 1787, when Austen was just 12 years old. Having grown up among the landed gentry in the English countryside, her many novels take place in that setting. Although she never married, Austen wrote many stories about young independent women struggling to find love and a husband who will respect them. Some of her most famous works include "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice," "Emma" and "Northanger Abbey."
Emily Bronte
Emily Bronte was born July 30, 1818 in Yorkshire. Bronte was also from a literary family and her sisters, Charlotte and Anne were writers as well. After the Bronte sisters published a volume of poems, under male pseudonyms, in 1845, Emily began work on her one and only novel "Wuthering Heights." Despite the fact that her novel was not as well received as Charlotte's "Jane Eyre" during her lifetime, "Wuthering Heights" later came to be known as one of the most influential novels of the 19th century.
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was born August 30, 1797 in London. The daughter of famed political philosopher William Godwin and feminist author Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary's mother died after giving birth to her. Mary knew since childhood that her birth resulted in her mother's death and felt compelled to become a successful writer to compensate for this loss. After marrying the poet Percy Shelley in 1814, Mary wrote her famous novel "Frankenstein" and many other well received novels, such as "Valperga", "The Last Man" and "Mathilda" as well as many travel books and journals. She also edited and published her husbands many poems, letters and essays after his accidental drowning death in 1822.
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf was born January 25, 1882 in London. The daughter of editor and literary critic, Sir Leslie Stephen, Woolf grew up in a literary household surrounded by her father's famous writer friends such as Henry James. Woolf began writing at a young age and eventually published her first novel, The Voyage Out, in 1915. Woolf's work focused on the internal dialogue of her characters, rather than their actions, and her work usually centered around themes of life, death and loss. Her books include "A Room of One's Own," "To The Lighthouse," "Orlando" and "Mrs. Dalloway." In 1917, Virginia and her husband Leonard set up their own printing press, Hogarth Press, that they used to publish not only Virginia's works but also that of other writers such as T.S. Eliot and E.M. Forster as well as other female authors such as Katherine Mansfield.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born December 16, 1775 in Hampshire. The daughter of a rector, Jane Austen took an interest in writing at a young age. Her earliest known writings date back to 1787, when Austen was just 12 years old. Having grown up among the landed gentry in the English countryside, her many novels take place in that setting. Although she never married, Austen wrote many stories about young independent women struggling to find love and a husband who will respect them. Some of her most famous works include "Sense and Sensibility," "Pride and Prejudice," "Emma" and "Northanger Abbey."
Emily Bronte
Emily Bronte was born July 30, 1818 in Yorkshire. Bronte was also from a literary family and her sisters, Charlotte and Anne were writers as well. After the Bronte sisters published a volume of poems, under male pseudonyms, in 1845, Emily began work on her one and only novel "Wuthering Heights." Despite the fact that her novel was not as well received as Charlotte's "Jane Eyre" during her lifetime, "Wuthering Heights" later came to be known as one of the most influential novels of the 19th century.
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was born August 30, 1797 in London. The daughter of famed political philosopher William Godwin and feminist author Mary Wollstonecraft, Mary's mother died after giving birth to her. Mary knew since childhood that her birth resulted in her mother's death and felt compelled to become a successful writer to compensate for this loss. After marrying the poet Percy Shelley in 1814, Mary wrote her famous novel "Frankenstein" and many other well received novels, such as "Valperga", "The Last Man" and "Mathilda" as well as many travel books and journals. She also edited and published her husbands many poems, letters and essays after his accidental drowning death in 1822.
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf was born January 25, 1882 in London. The daughter of editor and literary critic, Sir Leslie Stephen, Woolf grew up in a literary household surrounded by her father's famous writer friends such as Henry James. Woolf began writing at a young age and eventually published her first novel, The Voyage Out, in 1915. Woolf's work focused on the internal dialogue of her characters, rather than their actions, and her work usually centered around themes of life, death and loss. Her books include "A Room of One's Own," "To The Lighthouse," "Orlando" and "Mrs. Dalloway." In 1917, Virginia and her husband Leonard set up their own printing press, Hogarth Press, that they used to publish not only Virginia's works but also that of other writers such as T.S. Eliot and E.M. Forster as well as other female authors such as Katherine Mansfield.
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