With Virginia Woolf as a guide, the stories of 8 radical 20th century women—wanderers, rebels, explorers, mentors—who made a life for themselves in spite of everything
Everything that changed in the 20th century changed more dramatically for women. Her Own Voice tells the stories of 8 radical women who responded to social oppression and helped create the modernist movement.
As we witness the strong resurgence of “trad wife” popularity in modern culture, this book calls on women of every generation to actively wrestle with old ideas about what it means to be “good” and even “lovable.” Anne E. Fernald, world-renowned Virginia Woolf scholar, argues that the stories we read shape the lives we imagine for ourselves, and offers these stories as possible templates for living boldly and creatively.
Among the women featured are:
- Margaret Wise Brown, groundbreaking author of Goodnight Moon
- Jessie Redmon Fauset, prolific novelist of the Harlem Renaissance
- Dorothy Arzner, the only woman director to make the transition from silent to sound films
The women in this book encompass a wide range of diverse identities: Black, white, Asian, lesbian, queer, straight, mothers, aunts, teachers; novelists; poets, filmmakers, musicians, producers. Altogether, they provide an inspirational reminder that the social and political upheaval of our time is nothing new; women have been working to overcome enormous barriers in the name of their art throughout history.
“Drawing from their writings, Fernald creates sensitive portraits of her subjects . . . An intimate look at women and their time.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A generous book with some surprising choices as subjects. Fernald ably draws on scholarship while keeping the text accessible.”
—Library Journal
Introduction
PART 1: WANDERERS
Margaret Wise Brown, 1910–1952
In the Great Green Room
Eileen Chang, 1920–1995
Fashion and Love in Shanghai
PART 2: REBELS
Vera Brittain, 1893–1970
From Patriot to Pacifist
Muriel Rukeyser, 1913–1980
Violence and Creation
PART 3: EXPLORERS
Sylvia Townsend Warner, 1893–1978
She Had Changed Her Mind
Una Marson, 1905–1965
A Cosmopolitan from Jamaica
PART 4: MENTORS
Jessie Redmon Fauset, 1882–1961
From Mentor to Artist
Dorothy Arzner, 1897–1979
Hollywood’s Diffident Pioneer
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
Credits
Index