Women's Literature Timeline
Introduction
The history of women’s literature spans more than a millennium, from the earliest surviving writings of medieval women to the diverse global voices of the present day. This timeline traces the major developments, authors, and works in the women’s literary tradition, providing a chronological framework for understanding the evolution of women’s writing in English. Each period brought new opportunities and new challenges, and each generation of women writers built on the achievements of those who came before.
Medieval Period (c. 1100–1500)
The earliest surviving English-language book by a woman is Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love (c. 1395), a visionary work that is both a spiritual classic and a remarkable document of female intellectual and spiritual life. Julian’s famous assurance that “all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” has resonated across the centuries.
The medieval period also saw the writings of Margery Kempe (c. 1373–c. 1438), whose Book of Margery Kempe is often considered the first autobiography in English. Kempe’s account of her spiritual experiences, her pilgrimages, and her conflicts with ecclesiastical authority provides an extraordinary window into the life of a medieval woman who refused to accept the limited role assigned to her.
The Renaissance (1500–1660)
The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw an increasing number of women writing and publishing. Mary Sidney Herbert (1561–1621) completed influential translations of the Psalms that shaped English devotional poetry. Aemilia Lanyer (1569–1645) published Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (1611), the first substantial volume of original poetry by a woman in English, which offered a feminist revision of the Passion narrative.
Aphra Behn (1640–1689) became one of the first English women to earn her living by writing, producing plays, poetry, and fiction that defied conventional morality. Behn’s work was bold, witty, and sexually frank, and she defended women’s right to write about desire. Virginia Woolf later wrote that “all women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn” for her pioneering achievement.
The Eighteenth Century (1700–1800)
The eighteenth century saw the emergence of the novel as a form particularly associated with women. Fanny Burney (1752–1840) wrote novels of manners that influenced Jane Austen. Ann Radcliffe (1764–1823) perfected the Gothic novel, creating the atmospheric suspense that would influence later writers from the Brontës to Daphne du Maurier. Maria Edgeworth (1768–1849) developed the regional novel and wrote about Irish life with unprecedented realism.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), the founding document of modern feminism. Wollstonecraft argued that women’s apparent intellectual inferiority was the result of education and social conditioning, not nature, and that women deserved the same rights to education, work, and citizenship as men.
The Nineteenth Century (1800–1900)
The nineteenth century was the great age of women’s fiction. Jane Austen (1775–1817) produced six novels that are models of formal perfection and social insight. The Brontë sisters — Charlotte, Emily, and Anne — wrote novels of extraordinary passion and originality. George Eliot (1819–1880) brought philosophical depth and psychological complexity to the novel.
Women poets also flourished. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861) was the most celebrated poet of the age. Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) wrote nearly 1,800 poems that transformed the possibilities of lyric poetry. The period also saw the emergence of the American women’s literary tradition, with Harriet Beecher Stowe, Louisa May Alcott, and Kate Chopin producing works that addressed social issues and women’s experience. See the women’s poetry guide for a more detailed poetic timeline.
The Early Twentieth Century (1900–1945)
The modernist period saw women at the forefront of literary innovation. Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) revolutionised the novel with Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, and The Waves while also producing the most important feminist criticism of the century in A Room of One’s Own and Three Guineas. Willa Cather (1873–1947) chronicled the American frontier, and Edith Wharton (1862–1937) anatomised New York society with precision and irony.
Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) produced the first significant body of African American women’s fiction, though her work was neglected for decades before being recovered in the 1970s.
The Postwar Period (1945–1980)
The postwar period saw an extraordinary flourishing of women’s writing. Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) transformed feminist thought. Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) and Anne Sexton (1928–1974) developed confessional poetry that explored female experience with unprecedented frankness. Doris Lessing (1919–2013) produced the groundbreaking feminist novel The Golden Notebook (1962).
The late 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of a new wave of feminist fiction. Toni Morrison (1931–2019), Alice Walker (born 1944), and Margaret Atwood (born 1939) published their first works. The women’s liberation movement created a context in which women’s writing flourished, and feminist presses such as Virago and The Feminist Press ensured that women’s voices could reach readers.
The Contemporary Period (1980–Present)
Women’s literature in the contemporary period is more diverse than ever. Writers from around the world have achieved international readerships. Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize in 1993, the first African American woman to do so. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has become a touchstone of feminist culture. Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels have been a global phenomenon. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Zadie Smith, and Arundhati Roy are among the most celebrated writers of the period. Digital publishing has created new opportunities, and the conversation about women’s writing continues to evolve. See the women’s literature guide for a comprehensive overview.
The Medieval and Early Modern Period
Women writers have been active in English since the Middle Ages. Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love (c. 1395) is the earliest surviving work in English by a woman. Margery Kempe’s The Book of Margery Kempe (c. 1440) is often called the first autobiography in English.
The early modern period saw the emergence of the first professional women writers. Aphra Behn (1640–1689) was the first woman in England to support herself by writing.
The Nineteenth Century
The nineteenth century was a golden age of women’s writing. Jane Austen, the Brontës, George Eliot, and Christina Rossetti produced works that are now central to the English literary tradition.
The Twentieth Century
Twentieth-century women writers built on these foundations. Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, and Margaret Atwood are among the most important writers of the century.
The Twenty-First Century
The twenty-first century has seen an explosion of women’s writing from around the world. Writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Elena Ferrante, and Zadie Smith have achieved international recognition.
The Impact of Print Culture
The invention of printing transformed women’s literary production. Before print, women’s writing was limited to manuscript circulation. Print made it possible for women to reach wider audiences.
The expansion of the publishing industry in the eighteenth century created new opportunities for women writers. The circulating libraries, the periodical press, and the growth of the reading public all contributed to the emergence of women as professional writers.
Women and Literary Prizes
Literary prizes have been an important measure of recognition for women writers. The Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to women including Selma Lagerlöf, Sigrid Undset, Pearl S. Buck, Gabriela Mistral, Nelly Sachs, Nadine Gordimer, Toni Morrison, Wislawa Szymborska, Elfriede Jelinek, Doris Lessing, Herta Müller, Alice Munro, Svetlana Alexievich, Olga Tokarczuk, Louise Glück, and Annie Ernaux.
Other prizes have also recognised women writers. The Booker Prize has been won by women including Bernice Rubens, Penelope Fitzgerald, A. S. Byatt, Margaret Atwood, and Hilary Mantel.
Regions and Languages
Women’s literature is a global phenomenon. The timeline of women’s writing includes works from every continent and in every language. Translation has made it possible for readers to access women’s writing from different cultures.
The literary traditions of South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America have produced remarkable women writers, including Mahasweta Devi, Bessie Head, Jean Rhys, and Gabriela Mistral.
FAQ
When did women start writing in English?
Women have been writing in English since the medieval period. Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love (c. 1395) is the earliest surviving English-language book by a woman.
Who was the first woman to earn a living by writing?
Aphra Behn (1640–1689) is generally considered the first English woman to earn her living by writing. She produced plays, poetry, and fiction that were commercially successful.
When did women’s literature become a recognised field?
Women’s literature as a distinct field of study emerged in the 1970s with the growth of feminist criticism and the establishment of women’s studies programmes in universities.
How has women’s literature changed in the twenty-first century?
Contemporary women’s literature is more globally diverse than ever, with writers from around the world achieving international readerships. The boundaries between genres continue to blur, and new platforms have created opportunities for new voices.
What are the most important milestones in women’s literature?
Key milestones include the publication of Wollstonecraft’s Vindication (1792), the novels of Austen and the Brontës, Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own (1929), the founding of the feminist presses in the 1970s, and Morrison’s Nobel Prize in 1993.