4 Female Writers’ Writing Styles
Every author, myself included, has his/her own distinctive writing style. Earlier this year I dedicated a blog post to 4 famous male writers’ writing styles.
This week’s blog post is dedicated to 4 famous female writers’ writing styles:
Virginia Woolf
(January 25th 1882 – March 28th 1941)
Notable works: To the Lighthouse, Mrs Dalloway, A Room of One’s Own
Novelist and critic Virginia Woolf was an influential interwar writer and one of the foremost modernists of the 20th Century. Woolf embraced an experimental stream of consciousness writing style, in which the subjective impressions of her protagonists formed the narrative. This writing device is in evidence in her novel Mrs Dalloway, in which Woolf parallels a single day in the lives of two people, adeptly portraying their internal emotions. This was a marked shift from the rigid objectivism of 19th Century fiction. Her rhetorical, informal personal style, effective use of metaphors, similes and symbolism continue to endear her to readers to this day.
George Eliot
(22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880)
Notable works: The Mill on the Floss, Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda
Mary Ann Evans was an author who used the male pen name George Eliot in order that she be taken seriously by the literary establishment. Her most famous novel, Middlemarch, is widely regarded as one of the greatest English language novels ever written. Her writing style incorporated an unusual style of phrasing, deep psychological insights, sophisticated character portraits, religious themes, highly original use of metaphors, comical elements and realism. Eliot also had a distinctive narrative voice, which some have criticised her for, because it often disrupts the action and casts judgement on the given event, as it is taking place.
Emily Dickinson
(10th December 1830 – 15th May 1886)
The reclusive Emily Dickinson was a prolific American poet, who penned over 1700 poems. Dickinson’s early poetry was fairly conventional, but her writing style became increasingly innovative and idiosyncratic. Her lineation, punctuation, capitalisation and extensive use of dashes were highly unusual. Most of Dickinson’s poems were written in short stanzas, the majority being quatrains, whilst other stanzas employed triplets and pairs of couplets as well as partial rhyming schemes. She also experimented with Iambic rhythms. The flexible and innovative structures of her poems, the conciseness of her language and the blending of different themes, such as the homely and exalted, in addition to her use of metaphors were in stark contrast to the rigid conventions of her era.
Jane Austen
(16th December 1775 – 18th July 1817)
Notable works: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion
Jane Austen employed an elegant, experimental and innovative writing style. In contrast to other early 19th Century authors, Jane Austen’s novels have considerably more dialogue and much less description and narrative. She adroitly utilised indirect speech, burlesque, parody and realism to critique the portrayal of women in 18th Century literature, in addition to the perceived role of women during her own era. But it is her constant, imaginative use of irony that she is probably best known for. Austen utilised irony to highlight the social hypocrisy of her time, particularly with regards to marriage and social divisions.
What an excellent article. Thank you! I had to share. <3
Thank you for reading and sharing Colleen. Have a good weekend.
A great post – thanks for sharing Guy. It is useful to study the writing styles of famous authors as there is so much that we can learn. I also find it ironic to note that although every era has its trends when it comes to writing styles, we often remember those authors who break the mould and try something different.
We certainly do seem to remember those writers who break the mould Heather. I look forward to reading more of these 4 writers’ work. Have a good weekend.
Another great post, Guy. Have a good weekend
Thank you John. You too.
Very interesting post. I’ve read some Virginia Woolf but not enough of the other writers on the list. Have to take on Middlemarch one day. Your concise analysis has inspired me.
Thanks, I plan to read some more too.
I really enjoyed learning more about these authors. Thank you!
Pleased to hear that Sue. Thanks for reading.
This is great and I’d been looking forward to your take on woman author writing styles! Of these 4, I like Emily Dickinson best- particularly her use of the dash. I’ve read the others and appreciate Eliot and Austen; Woolf defeats me despite trying many of her books. It’s fascinating to investigate older writing styles but if I were a blogger I’d find it fun to compare to my favourite contemporary female writers. Hard to pick my top 4 but guess they would be Doris Lessing, Alison Lurie and Margarets Drabble and Atwood. All very distinctive voices and styles and great storytellers. Thanks Guy!
Contemporary writers’ writing styles is a good idea for a blog post Sue. I am not familiar with those 4 contemporary female writers. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Doris Lessing.
Excellent article.
What a great overview. I have read several of Austin’s books, and only the Mill on the Floss. I’ve read only a smattering of Dickenson and Woof is still on my list of to reads. You have me inspired to continue my reading of these 4 ladies. Thank you
I’m pleased to hear that Islouck. Enjoy the reading.