Women writers now and then
La siguiente secuencia promueve la lectura, la escritura, la oralidad y la escucha en el idioma inglés, en un recorrido histórico acerca de escritoras contemporáneas y del pasado.
Creado: 7 enero, 2022 | Actualizado: 4 de septiembre, 2023
✍ ACTIVITY 1
a. Look at the pictures of these two women writers. The first picture shows Virginia Woolf, a great writer of the 20th century. The second shows Rupi Kaur, a contemporary writer.
Observá las fotografías de estas dos escritoras. La primera muestra a Virginia Woolf, una destacada escritora del siglo XX. La segunda muestra a Rupi Kaur, una escritora contemporánea.
Portrait of Virginia Woolf. Photograph by George Charles Beresford, taken from Wikimedia Commons.
Rupi Kaur reading extracts of her book. Photograph by Joe Carlson, taken from Wikimedia Commons.
b. Think and write in your folder.
Pensá y escribí en tu carpeta.
When Virginia Woolf’s picture was taken, in 1902, she was 20 years old. Rupi Kaur’s picture was taken in 2017, she was 25.
En 1902 cuando la foto de Virginia Woolf fue tomada, ella tenía 20 años. En 2017 cuando la foto de Rupi Kaur fue tomada, ella tenía 25 años.
1. How would you describe the expression on their faces? Choose words from the box to describe them.
¿Cómo describirías la expresión de sus rostros? Elegí algunas palabras del recuadro para describirlas.
Pensive – Happy – Sad – Unhappy – Concerned – Taciturn – Annoyed – Depressed – Joyful
Rupi seems ____________________________________
Virginia seemed to be ____________________________________
2. What do you know that was different before and during the 20th and now in the 21st century about women´s lives?
¿Qué pensás que fue diferente antes y durante el siglo XX y ahora en el siglo XXI acerca de la vida de las mujeres?
You can write your ideas in this chart.
Here's an example.
Podés escribir tus ideas en este cuadro.
Te damos un ejemplo.
| Before and during 20th century | 21st century |
| - At the beginning of the 20th century women couldn´t vote. |
c. Read information on women writers' situation in the past.
Leé información sobre la situación de las mujeres escritoras en el pasado.
Women writers now and then
For many centuries, women writers had to struggle to express their art. For centuries, writers had been mostly men and women had been normally relegated in the publishing world. The few women who could write fiction had a difficult time getting published. In 1836 England, a young Charlotte Brontë sent a selection of her poetry to Poet Laureate Robert Southey. Southey’s response was excruciating: "Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be."¹ After this rejection, the Brontë sisters published their works under pseudonyms. Charlotte became Currer; Anne became Acton; Emily became Ellis. The sisters selected Bell as their surname.
Printing Press in Chetham's Library in Manchester, UK. Photograph by Mike Peel, taken from Wikimedia Commons.
They were not the only ones. Many women writers chose to publish under male or gender neutral pen names: Aurore Dupin published under the name George Sand and became one of 19th century France’s most celebrated novelists. Mary Ann Evans used the pen name George Eliot when she published her 1859 debut novel “Adam Bede”. However, still in 2013, J.K. Rowling herself chose to use neutral gender initials on publishing her work and later she published under a male pseudonym. She published “The Cuckoo Calling” under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
With the passing of time, conditions for women writers improved. Social media and the position of women in society played a huge role in making publishing conditions more egalitarian. The new millennium and Women fights for their rights and liberties, created new conditions and opened a new and more favourable panorama to all women worldwide.
Texto producido por la DGCyE.
¹Cita de Robert Southey tomada del artículo Letter from Robert Southey to Charlotte Brontë, 12 March 1837, recuperado en diciembre de 2021.
d. Write your ideas from B. 2. and the text from C in a paragraph.
Escribí tus ideas de las actividades B.2. y del texto del C en un párrafo.
In your opinion, what has changed in the life of women in the past century that can account for their different attitudes?
En tu opinión, ¿qué ha cambiado en la vida de las mujeres desde el siglo pasado que puede tenerse en cuenta hoy en sus actitudes diferentes?
Toolkit
- Introduce your opinion:
I think that...
In my opinion...
- Compare two things that are similar or the same:
as + adjective + as
Women are as prosperous as men.
the same + noun + as
Women need the same conditions as men to write fiction.
- Say differences in a sentence:
but / yet
Women are talented at writing, but men are more respected.
Women are talented at writing, yet men are more respected.
✍ ACTIVITY 2
a. Read and highlight the most relevant and surprising information about Virginia Woolf.
Leé y resaltá la información más relevante y sorprendente acerca de Virginia Woolf.
Here are some biographical details on Virginia Woolf. Read them and bearing in mind that she lived at the beginning of last century, highlight the ones that you find more relevant and surprising.
Aquí hay datos biográficos de Virginia Woolf. Leé y, teniendo en cuenta que ella vivió a comienzos del siglo XX, resaltá aquello que encuentres relevante y sorprendente.
Photograph by George Charles Beresford, taken from Wikimedia Commons.
A short description of Virginia Woolf during her time in King's College London. Taken at Virginia Woolf Building. By KiloCharlieLima taken from Wikimedia Commons.
b. Think, discuss and answer in your folder.
Pensá, debatí y respondé en tu carpeta.
This is one of the most famous quotes by Virginia Woolf. She wrote it in “A room of one's own” in 1929 when she was invited to lecture on women and fiction.
Esta es una de las citas más famosas de Virginia Woolf. Ella lo escribió en su ensayo “Una habitación propia” en 1929 cuando fue invitada a dar una conferencia sobre mujeres y ficción.
Archivo DGCyE.
1. What do you think she meant when she wrote it?
I think she…
2. Why do you think she stressed the fact that they needed “a room of their own”?
3. Do you think women writers nowadays face the same needs?
In my opinion…
c. Read these extracts from the essay “A room of one's own” by Virginia Woolf.
Leé estos fragmentos del ensayo “Una habitación propia” de Virginia Woolf.
Wordpool
What is an essay?
An essay is a short piece of writing in which the author states and supports her o his point of view.
There are different types of essays: narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative.
Excerpts of “A room of one's own” by Virginia Woolf.
Fragmentos de “Una habitación propia” de Virginia Woolf.
1
“PERHAPS NOW IT would be better to give up seeking for the truth, and receiving on one's head an avalanche of opinion hot as lava, discoloured as dish-water. It would be better to draw the curtains; to shut out distractions; to light the lamp; to narrow the enquiry and to ask the historian, who records not opinions but facts, to describe under what conditions women lived, not through the ages, but in England, say, in the time of Elizabeth.”
2
“(...) any woman born with a great gift in the sixteenth century would certainly have gone crazed, shot herself, or ended her days in some lonely cottage outside the village, half witch, half wizard, feared and mocked at.”
3
“(...) And undoubtedly, I thought, looking at the shelf where there are no plays by women, her work would have gone unsigned. That refuge she would have sough certainly. It was the relic of the sense of chastity that dictated anonymity to women even so late as the nineteenth century.
4
“(...) But for women, I thought, looking at the empty shelves, these difficulties were infinitely more formidable. In the first place, to have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound-proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble, even up to the beginning of the nineteenth century.”
Woolf, V. (2017) Liberty. Vintage Minis (pp. 1-14). Penguin Random House UK.
d. Choose and tick the problems that women who want to write fiction have faced since the 16th century, according to Virginia Woolf´s essay extracts. Discuss your answers with your teacher and classmates.
Elegí y tildá los problemas que las mujeres que pretendían escribir ficción han encontrado desde el siglo XVI, de acuerdo a los fragmentos del ensayo de Virginia Woolf. Debatí con tu profesora o profesor, compañeras y compañeros.
| Women decided to write anonymously to get their writings published. | |
| Women used male pen names to publish their writings. | |
| In order to write, women needed to hide and write in secret. | |
| Women couldn't publish until the 21st century. | |
| Women needed men’s permission to write fiction. | |
| Women were scrutinized as to the origin of their inspiration. | |
| Women were demonized if they were writers. | |
| It was essential to have a good economic situation in order to have access to a quiet room for their writing. | |
| Women could only write once they had finished their children’s upbringing. | |
| Women could only dedicate time to writing once their house chores were finished. | |
| In order to be writers, women should lead a life of seclusion. |
Deslizar en sentido lateral para ver todo el contenido.
✍ ACTIVITY 3
Rupi Kaur (b. 1992) is an Indian Canadian poet, illustrator and performer. Rupi Kaur started writing as a child, throughout her life she has addressed women and girls to equality, respect of their feelings, emotions and body. Despite all her shortcomings, she has successfully experienced her dream to become true: publishing her poems.
Here is a line of one of her most famous poems:
“something as simple as what you’re born with (…)”
Kaur, R. (2014) Milk and Honey (pp. 173). Andrews McMeel publishing.
In this particular link, you can hear her reciting the poem in which the line appears: Rupi Kaur. *
* This is a link to Rupi Kaur’s Instagram account. Consultado en diciembre de 2021. Material optativo. Tené en cuenta que el enlace consume datos móviles o requiere de una conexión a Internet.
A. Read. In pairs or groups read this extract from Rupi´s life.
Leer. En pares o en grupos lean este fragmento acerca de la vida de Rupi.
B. Underline the responses Rupi had received.
Subrayá las respuestas que Rupi ha recibido.
After writing and performing poetry for many years, I was inspired to publish my work. I was in writing workshops – that whole deal. I asked a creative writing professor what I needed to do in order to get published, and their response was don’t bother. I was told it was too difficult. They said poetry basically never got published. I was told that I had a better chance having individual poems published in literary journals, magazines, and anthologies. I then asked them if self-publishing was a good route to take. Immediately I was told – no. To surpass the gatekeeper would be looked down upon by my literary peers.
Texto tomado de la página oficial de Rupi Kaur, apartado About me, recuperado en diciembre de 2021.
C. Think, discuss and write in your folder.
Pensá, debatí y escribí en tu carpeta.
Toolkit
- Introduce what you will write about in the topic sentence:
~ for ~ reasons.
Rupi wanted to publish her poems for many reasons:
Women needed a room of their own for two main* reasons:
There are/were - reasons why -
Rupi’s professor told her there were many reasons why poems were difficult to publish.
There are many reasons why women needed a room of their own.
* You can also use "a lot of," "several," "a few," or an exact number.
- Show reasons:
· because/ since
Rupi’s professor told her there were many reasons why poems were difficult to publish basically because they never got published.
Or Rupi’s professor told her there were many reasons why poems were difficult to publish basically since they never got published.
Women needed a room of their own because it was the only place where they could concentrate.
Since they could retreat to a private place they could write.
· because of /due to + noun
Because of Rupi’s own publishing and her belief that she could get her poems published and became a best seller.
Due to Rupi’s own publishing and her belief that she could get her poems published and became a best seller.
Due to to the availability of a quiet room of their own women could write good fiction.
Virginia Woolf became successful because of her hard work.
Do you think publishing was easy for Rupi? Do you think she also needed a room of her own? Why? Why not? Give your reasons.
*Remember to revise the previous toolkits.
D. Read and match.
Leer y unir.
| 1. Rupi wanted to publish her work after… | a. …it was difficult. |
| 2. Professor and people thought and said… | b. …published in literary journals, magazines and anthologies. |
| 3. Poetry never… | c. …many years of writing. |
| 4. They suggested Rupi to… | d. …a good route to take. |
| 5. Self-publishing wasn’t… | e. …got published. |
E. Think and answer in your folder.
Pensá y respondé en tu carpeta.
Did you know? Rupi Kaur doesn´t use Capital/Uppercase letters.
What do you think is the purpose of using lower case letters? Do you think it can be related to women’s position in society?
*Remember to revise the previous toolkit on writing opinions.
F. Read and check your previous answers. Highlight the correct answer in this excerpt.
Leé y chequeá tus respuestas anteriores. Resaltá la respuesta correcta en este fragmento.
Why do you only use lowercase and periods in your poetry?
When I began writing poetry, I could read and understand my mother tongue (Punjabi), but I hadn’t yet developed the skill set to write poetry in it. Punjabi is written in either Shahmukhi or Gurmukhi script. Within the Gurmukhi script, there are no uppercase or lowercase letters. The letters are treated the same. I enjoy this symplicity. It’s symmetrical and straightforward. I also feel there is a level of equality this visuality brings to the work. A visual representation of what i want to see more of within the world: equallness.
Texto tomado de la página oficial de Rupi Kaur, apartado About me, recuperado en diciembre de 2021.
✍ ACTIVITY 4
Essay writing practice.
Práctica de escritura de un ensayo.
In this section we will write an essay about the reasons why these women and their writings have been acknowledged worldwide. You can use your notes, toolkits, wordpool and previous exercises to draft your work. Let’s follow the steps!
En esta sección escribiremos un ensayo acerca de las razones por las cuales estas mujeres y sus trabajos literarios han sido reconocidos en el mundo. Podés usar tus apuntes, toolkits, wordpool y los ejercicios anteriores para escribir un borrador. ¡Seguí los pasos!
Step 1
Complete the following chart with details about reasons why these women and their writings have been acknowledged worldwide.
Completá el siguiente cuadro con información acerca de las razones por las cuales estas mujeres y sus trabajos literarios han sido reconocidos en el mundo.
| Virginia Woolf | Rupi Kaur |
 |
|
|
|
Virginia Woolf. Photograph taken from Wikimedia Commons. / Rupi Kaur. Photograph by Joe Carlson, taken from Wikimedia Commons.
Deslizar en sentido lateral para ver todo el contenido.
Step 2
Complete. Write the two main reasons why you think Virginia Woolf and Rupi Kaur are recognized.
Completá. Escribí las dos razones más importantes por las cuales pensás que Virginia Woolf y Rupi son reconocidas.
- Virginia Woolf was one of the first women to struggle for women writers' rights.
Reasons: _______________________________
- Rupi Kaur doesn’t use small letters and addressed women to respect their feelings, emotions and body.
Reasons: _______________________________
Step 3
Introduce what you will write about in the topic sentence. Here you have some words, phrases and examples.
Presentá lo que vas a escribir en la oración principal. Aquí hay algunas palabras, frases y ejemplos.
* Remember to revise the toolkits.
- ~ for ~ reasons.
For example: Virginia Woolf is successful for one main reason.
- There are - reasons why -.
There are many* reasons why I admire Rupi Kaur.
* You can also use "a lot of", "several," "a few", or an exact number.
Step 4
In order to complete or enlarge your ideas from STEP 1, you can use the following words.
Para poder completar o explicar mejor tus ideas del PASO 1, podés usar las siguientes palabras.
- Because(=since)
Women like Rupi Kaur’s books because they are empowering and thought provoking.
- Since(=Because)
Since she had worked hard, Virginia Woolf became one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.
Step 5
Final brainstorming
Tormenta de ideas final
Complete the guide in order to organise your writing.
Completá la guía para poder organizar tu escritura.
This is a possibility as to how to organize your brainstorming. Go about it and share your draft with your teacher.
Esta es una posibilidad para que organices tus ideas. Chequeala y compartí tu borrador con tu profesora o profesor.
Some essential questions
- Who are you going to write about? Why?
- Which are the reasons why you’ll write about her?
STEP 6
Final outline
Esquema final
Here is an example of outline to write about Virginia Woolf’s success in writing. Create your own for your writing piece.
Acá hay un ejemplo de esquema final para escribir sobre el éxito de Virginia Woolf en su escritura. Creá tu versión propia.
Archivo DGCyE.
✍ ACTIVITY 5
Essay Writing
Now you are ready to write your piece from step 1: draft, outline and write your piece on Rupi Kaur’s reason for success.
Ahora ya estás lista o listo para escribir desde el paso 1: borrador; esquema y escribir tu ensayo sobre las razones del éxito de Rupi Kaur.
* You can get more data about Rupi Kaur in her web site, accesed december 2021.
* Podés obtener más información acerca de Rupi Kaur en su sitio web, acceso en diciembre de 2021.
A. Complete the brainstorming guide.
Completá la guía de tormenta de ideas.
B. Complete the final outline and share with your teacher.
Completá el esquema final y compartilo con tu profesora o profesor.
Archivo DGCyE.
C. Once your teacher has done the corrections and suggestions, you can write the clean and final version to hand in.
Una vez que tu profesora o profesor ha realizado las correcciones y sugerencias, podés escribir la versión final en limpio para ser entregada.
*Note to the teacher
You can collect student’s work and share it with other courses for Women’s International Day.
Imagen de portada: Wikimedia Commons