Against the Odds: How Women Writers Found their Voices
This course is for anyone interested in discovering the process whereby women came to make their voices heard, transcending the roles assigned them by society. Students must be prepared to read and discuss literary texts during the Study Day.
‘Intellectual freedom depends upon material things,’ said Virginia Woolf. We shall explore this concept as it applies to women writers in Britain, asking questions about gender barriers to success and how these were transcended. Beginning with Woolf’s essay, A Room of One’s Own, we shall look back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, reading a rich mix of short texts – fiction, poetry and non-fiction. Authors will range from the poet Charlotte Smith, who literally wrote her way out of debtors’ prison, to Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, Sara Coleridge, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot and, of course, Virginia Woolf.
Dr. Jane Crozier holds several degrees in English and American Literature. She spent much of her career teaching adults in Further Education, also working as a visiting Tutor at the Institute of Education and as a Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London. When she moved to Somerset twelve years ago, she had the time to create courses for adults that follow her particular interests, most especially the poetry of place, the literature of landscape and pioneer women writers.
Dillington House wishes to reassure everyone that we are working closely with Somerset County Council to ensure every measure is being taken to make Dillington House a safe place for everyone.
All course participants will be sent further guidance prior to the course date.
Dillington House is following Government guidelines and adhering to new guidance including local or national lockdowns.
All places booked can be transferred or refunded in the event this course is cancelled. Individuals who are affected by local lockdowns will be able to transfer to an alternative course. All other terms and conditions apply.