Trailblazing Women of Literature: The 18th century

Trailblazing Women of Literature: The 18th Century

Meet the early trailblazing women of world literature in this exciting new lecture series presented by Susannah Fullerton. It has not always been easy for women to write. Virginia Woolf famously wrote a “woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”. Susannah will introduce us to the courageous women who braved societal disapproval and whose urgent desire was to wield a pen and insist on their right to expression.

This lecture will focus on women from the 18th century. Women in England began to write novels, breaking new ground as they did so. Learn about two women who directly influenced Jane Austen and whose own lives were intriguing. Ending with Jane Austen herself, a novelist yet to be surpassed in brilliance and popularity, but who needed the women who came before in order for her genius to flourish.

Frances Burney’s life was more colourful than any novel. She seems to have been present at most of the major events of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her first, anonymous, novel Evelina (1778) depicts the entry into society of a young lady, showing the way to Jane Austen who was a huge Burney fan.

Ann Radcliffe, as a pioneer of Gothic fiction, was known as the “mighty enchantress”, and she created heroines who overcome powerful male villains. She introduced suspense and the supernatural into her novels, and inspired many writers.

Jane Austen’s 250th birthday is being celebrated around the world in 2025. How did she draw on her predecessors who dared to write? How did she manage to eclipse them all, in genius and lasting fame?

Susannah Fullerton OAM is an author and literary historian. Her popular talks, online programs and literary tours promote the lives and works of great writers and have a huge following. Susannah is also president of the Jane Austen Society which is the largest literary society in Australia.

This event will be held in the Library Auditorium, Lower Ground Floor, State Library NSW.

See more in this series:
: From the mists of time — Sappho, Lady Murasaki Shikibu, and Julian of Norwich
: The 17th century — Madame de Sévigné, Aphra Behn, and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

(Image: Frances Burney)