Just a short introduction to my research and my aims for this blog!
The eighteenth century saw a remarkable increase in the number of works written by women, and also the number of women who made a living by writing. For the first time, being a writer was a viable career choice for a woman, and it was possible to support a family by writing, despite the backlash some individual writers, like Mary Wollstonecraft, faced for their work.
The careers of these women showcase the experiences of female writers in the world of the London theatres. As successful authors, they created a brief moment towards the end of the eighteenth century when womens’ voices could be heard and acknowledged in a public space, and in which discussions about morality and femininity were not simply about women, but were held by women themselves.
My research focuses on the work women did in the eighteenth-century theatre, and how they reconciled the demands of being a professional writer with their society’s gender expectations. The plays of this period are very under-researched, and often do not appear at all in critical studies of eighteenth-century literature. My aim is to rectify this situation, to bring these women back onto the public stage they deserve, and to help others discover their work!
The Women's Playhouse 