Twentieth century women's literature: exploration of female-identity and expressions of independence, autonomy and self-assertion

Abstract

Having studied women's literature of the previous centuries, it appeared to me that the most astounding change in women's writing has taken place in the twentieth century. This paper examines how writing has change through a revolutionary phase during the twentieth century. This underlying questions which have bothered progressive feminist thinkers, writers and activists over centuries, have been discussed here to explore the perplexing yet thoughtful world of women's literature. While contemplating the study of twentieth century women's literature, the most significant features that came under the spotlight include discovery of women's literature, the most significant features that came under the spotlight include the discovery of women's self-identity, women coming our from the male defined precincts to achieve independence of victorian and twentieth century women's literature has witnessed, a comparative investigation of victorian and twentieth century women's literature has been stated briefly. In addition the life and literacy works of leading authors of twentieth century including Jean Rhys, Sylvia Plath, Katherine Mansfield, Charlotte perkins Gilman, Rodya Sakhawat Hossain and Isak Dinesen have been delved into the paper to have a gimpse of the uniqueness of modernist women's literature. As the study exposes the massive shift in style, approach, content, format and themes in Modernist women's literature, the observation of women's expressions and an emergence of a new era of feminist as well as women's literature have also been donned in the paper which eventually turns our to be an aspiring phenomenon of the twentieth century