Kim Simpson: Writing Women’s Rights
Channel: ChawtonHouse
Date: 2020-05-15

Writing Women’s Rights


Based on a 2019 library display at Chawton House, this talk tackles commonplace images of the woman writer which have proved persistent: women silenced by lack of education, by strict rules about who could publish, by childbearing, by gossip, or by expectations that see their writing as trashy, romantic, ill-conceived and poorly-written. Whilst some were ‘forced to write for Bread and not ashamed to owne it’, others were compelled to write to address the profound inequities they saw in the world, or to reshape femininity by authoring new types of heroines. This talk introduces just some of the writers who brought women’s rights into the public sphere.  



Dr Kim Simpson is the Chawton House Postdoctoral Fellow, and also lectures in eighteenth-century literature at the University of Southampton.



Kim’s talk will be followed by the Chawton House Director’s Q&A. Join the Conversation #ChawtonLitFest 



Thank you for tuning in to Chawton House's Lockdown Literary Festival. This programme, happening on 15, 16 & 17 May is all online, and all for free. It is a celebration of women's writing, with events including talks, discussions, workshops and Q&As.If you have enjoyed any of our digital content and, if you are able, please consider donating to the Chawton House Emergency Appeal. 



Your donations will ensure we can keep producing content inspired by the Chawton House collections: https://chawtonhouse.org/covid-19-appeal/