Chapter Nine: Stone-Throwing Jane Austen: Suffragist Street Activism, Grand Pageants, and Costume Parties
Chapter Nine looks at political speech in Jane Austen from a different vantage point--that of women's suffrage activists and feminists who used Austen's legacy, writings, and reputation to marshal support for their political positions. (I first wrote about this subject in "Jane Austen, Feminist Icon" in the Los Angeles Review of Books in 2014.)
AUSTEN MARCHED THROUGH THE STREETS
Austen's name was featured on a suffrage banner, now housed at the Women's Library at the London School of Economics, in 1908. Read more about the historic day and those amazing banners.
AUSTEN ON THE SUFFRAGE STAGE
"Jane Austen" became a character on stage, among "The Learned Women" featured in Cecily Hamilton's Pageant of Great Women in 1909. (The edition linked here has several photos of female actors in their costumes, but Winifred Mayo's Jane Austen's is not among them.) Read more about how suffragists across the globe portrayed Jane Austen on stage, in a play about Woman, Justice, and Prejudice. After you've read the chapter, listen to Suffragette Mayo describe her experiences in the movement.
AUSTEN DRESS UP, FOR THE CAUSE
Suffrage activists engaged in what we now call cosplay--dressing up as Austen for the cause at the Hotel Cecil in London. Read about when, why, and who in Chapter 9.
Chapter Nine looks at political speech in Jane Austen from a different vantage point--that of women's suffrage activists and feminists who used Austen's legacy, writings, and reputation to marshal support for their political positions. (I first wrote about this subject in "Jane Austen, Feminist Icon" in the Los Angeles Review of Books in 2014.)
AUSTEN MARCHED THROUGH THE STREETS
Austen's name was featured on a suffrage banner, now housed at the Women's Library at the London School of Economics, in 1908. Read more about the historic day and those amazing banners.
AUSTEN ON THE SUFFRAGE STAGE
"Jane Austen" became a character on stage, among "The Learned Women" featured in Cecily Hamilton's Pageant of Great Women in 1909. (The edition linked here has several photos of female actors in their costumes, but Winifred Mayo's Jane Austen's is not among them.) Read more about how suffragists across the globe portrayed Jane Austen on stage, in a play about Woman, Justice, and Prejudice. After you've read the chapter, listen to Suffragette Mayo describe her experiences in the movement.
AUSTEN DRESS UP, FOR THE CAUSE
Suffrage activists engaged in what we now call cosplay--dressing up as Austen for the cause at the Hotel Cecil in London. Read about when, why, and who in Chapter 9.
