British Women Writers in different periods of time The English Renaissance The English Renaissance began in the later part of the fifteenth century and lasted until the 1660s. Among the most famous women writers of this period is Aphra Behn, who is seen as the first professional woman writer in English. She wrote a number of plays that dealt with topics such as racism and slavery. A good example isOroonokopublished in 1688. Aphra Behn's works include also the playsThe Amourous Prince,The Town Fop, The Dutch Loverand her only tragedy,Abdelazer. The neoclassical period Among the well-known women in Bristish literature during the neoclassical period, from 1660 to the end of the eighteenth century, is Anne Finch. She wrote poetry and tried to express all that she saw and experienced. Two other women are recognized for their contribution to neoclassical British literature: Mary Astell and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Mary Astell was a philosopher and a feminist writer. She is best known now for her theories on the education of women. The Romantic period Jane Austen is one of the most famous women writers that worked during the Romantic period (1798-1832). Her works include several novels, most of which focus on marriage as a way for young women to secure social standing and economic security. Her most famous novels arePride and Prejudice,Sense and SensibilityandEmma. Another famous woman writer from the English Romanticism is Mary Shelley. She is the author ofFrankenstein,History of Six Weeks TourandThe Last Man. The Victorian period The Victorian period, between the 1830s and 1900, was the time when the Bronte sisters, George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell lived and wrote. Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte and Anne Bronte produced many British literary classics. Charlotte's novels includeJane Eyre,Shirley,Villette and The Professor. Mary Anne Evans adopted the male pen name George as she wanted to set herself apart from the feminine genre of cookbooks and domestic moral tales. Her most famous novel isThe Mill on the Flosspublished in 1860. According to the passage, why did Mary Anne Evans publish her stories under the name of George Eliot?
Women were forbidden to write novels then. Her works would be different. It helped promote her works. It sounded more popular.