Spell It: What's in a name? Ask these famous woman authors who used a nom de plume
We discover how female writers were forced to adopt male names to be taken seriously
When English author Charles Dickens’ work was gaining popularity in the 1800s, another novelist was also experiencing a meteoric rise – but this mysterious new author had a secret.
Click start to play today’s Spell It, where we meet women authors who wrote under the ‘guise’ of male novelists, through a nom de plume.
In order to publish their stories without prejudice in male-dominated circles and societies, a number of female authors in history have had to adopt pen names. Some of the most famous are the literary Bronte sisters, who went by the names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. With anonymity, these, and other women, explored subjects they wouldn’t have dared to, otherwise, and drew in a strong male readership. Here are three authors worth knowing about:
1. Mary Ann Evans
Pen name: George Eliot
Evans became one of the most prominent authors of her era, right alongside Dickens. According to the Google Arts and Culture website, Dickens suspected Eliot of being a woman when her first book appeared. Evans’ novel Middlemarch is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest novels ever written in the English language.
2. Louisa May Alcott
Pen name: A. M. Barnard
Although her best-known work, Little Women, was published under her own name, Alcott often used her nom de plume for dramatic gothic thrillers that were considered too scandalous a subject for women in the 19th century. The American writer’s work included A Long Fatal Love Chase, and Behind a Mask – a novella that explored themes of social class and manipulation. It was only in the 1940s that a rare book dealer and librarian discovered her pseudonym.
3. Karen Blixen
Pen name: Isak Dinesen, Pierre Andrezel
The acclaimed Danish writer, who wrote the memoir Out of Africa, used a number of pen names throughout her life. Her most well-known one was Dinesen, which she used to write her 1934 collection of short stories: Seven Gothic Tales.
4. Amantine Dupin
Pen name: George Sand
As one of France’s most prolific writers, Dupin tackled tales of love and social class, with critiques of social norms, in her books. She is considered to be a trailblazing early feminist, and for always being at the centre of controversy for her audacious fashion sense (which involved wearing trousers), and smoking in public.
Are you surprised by these revelations? Play today’s Spell It and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.