Biography of two english writers 1900s

On or about December , human character changed.~Virginia Woolf

It appears likely that poets in our civilization,
as it exists at present, must be difficult. . . .
The poet must become more and more comprehensive,
more allusive, more indirect, in order to force,
to dislocate if necessary, language into his meaning.
~T.S. Eliot

Introduction

It&#;s safe to say (at least for a little while longer) that if you&#;re reading this page you were born in the twentieth century. Moreover most of your life to date has been lived during the twentieth century. While it is, thus, the period we are most familiar with in terms of our personal experience, the one closest to us in time, it is also a period that saw immense changes in society and literature. It was a period that was marked by two world wars, by a great, worldwide economic depression, by the dissolution of the British Empire, by increasing democratization of society, and by the advent of new technologies.

Not surprisingly, the literature of the century is just as varied. At the turn of the century the Georgians and the Decadent or Aesthetic movements were two streams of poetry that derived from, and were in reaction to, the poetry of the Victorian era. In fiction, the realistic novel was dominant. But just as World War I shattered many assumptions about society and humanity, the poetry of the first world war and the literature that came afterwards was often unsettling, disruptive and emphasized new interests and approaches. Imagism and Modernism (as distinct from simply modern) flourished in the period between the two world wars. In the post-World War II era, various reactions to Modernism (including Postmodernism) appeared. With all literary periods, what we later come to see as its signal characteristics is not always immediately evident and is not always neatly contained within a set of dates. As products of the twentieth century, we may find it even more difficult to ma

English novelist and poet (–)

For other uses, see Thomas Hardy (disambiguation).

Thomas Hardy (2 June – 11 January ) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wordsworth. He was highly critical of much in Victorian society, especially on the declining status of rural people in Britain such as those from his native South West England.

While Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life and regarded himself primarily as a poet, his first collection was not published until Initially, he gained fame as the author of novels such as Far from the Madding Crowd (), The Mayor of Casterbridge (), Tess of the d'Urbervilles () and Jude the Obscure (). During his lifetime, Hardy's poetry was acclaimed by younger poets (particularly the Georgians) who viewed him as a mentor. After his death his poems were lauded by Ezra Pound, W. H. Auden and Philip Larkin.

Many of his novels concern tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances, and they are often set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex; initially based on the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Hardy's Wessex eventually came to include the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire and much of Berkshire, in south-west and south central England. Two of his novels, Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd, were listed in the top 50 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.

Life and career

Early life

Thomas Hardy was born on 2 June in Higher Bockhampton (then Upper Bockhampton), a hamlet in the parish of Stinsford to the east of Dorchester in Dorset, England, where his father Thomas (–) worked as a stonemason and local builder. His parents had married at Melbury Osmond on 22 December His mother, Jemima (née Hand; –), was well read

Throughout history, some of the most influential women have been writers, poets, and essayists; breaking social barriers, challenging the status quo, and questioning the rules through the art of their writing. Their literary contributions have not only enriched cultural landscapes but also sparked important conversations about gender, identity, and societal norms. At Oxford Summer Courses, where we offer writing courses led by expert tutors, we delve into the lives and works of these pioneering female authors, exploring their profound impact on literature and beyond. From renowned classics to contemporary masterpieces, we examine the legacy of famous female authors whose works continue to inspire generations.

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From the pioneering voices of the late 18th and early 19th Century through to modern day feminist contemporaries in the literary sphere, women have long shaped the landscape of literature, of cultures around the world, and of history with their ingenious creative writing talents.                  

Here is just a small selection of the most pioneering female writers in history.

1. Jane Austen ( - )

Jane Austen was one of the earliest female writers to produce works that critiqued and commented on the British landed gentry, Austen was a writer who focused on plots which explored the dependence of women on marriage, or women who were in the pursuit of economic security.

As such, many of Austen’s works were published anonymously, meaning that she enjoyed little fame during her life. It was after her death that she gained far more status as a writer, with her six full-length novels