Question

British Women Writers in different periods of time

The English Renaissance

The English Renaissance began in the later part of the fifteenth century and lasted until the 1660s. Among the most famous women writers of this period is Aphra Behn, who is seen as the first professional woman writer in English. Aphra Behn's works include also the plays The Amourous Prince, The Town Fop, The Dutch Lover and her only tragedy, Abdelazer.

The neoclassical period

Among the well-known women in British literature during the neoclassical period, from 1660 to the end of the eighteenth century, is Anne Finch. She wrote poetry and tried to express all that she saw and experienced. Another woman was recognized for her contribution to neoclassical British literature: Mary Astell. Mary Astell was a philosopher and a feminist writer. She is best known now for her theories on the education of women.

The Romantic period

Jane Austen is one of the most famous women writers that worked during the Romantic period (1798-1832). Her works include several novels, most of which focus on marriage as a way for young women to secure social standing and economic security. Her most famous novels are Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma.

The Victorian period

The Victorian period, between the 1830s and 1900, was the time when the Bronte sisters, George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell lived and wrote. Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte and Anne Bronte produced many British literary classics. Mary Anne Evans adopted the male pen name George as she wanted to set herself apart from the feminine genre（女性主义流派） of cookbooks and domestic moral tales. Her most famous novel is The Mill on the Floss published in 1860.

1.According to the passage, Aphra Behn was famous for ________.

A. novels B. poetry C. plays D. cookbooks

2.According to the passage, why did Mary Anne Evans publish her stories under the name of George Eliot?

A. Women were forbidden to write novels then. B. Her works would be different.

C. It helped promote her works. D. It sounded more popular.

3.If a reader is interested in women’s education, whose works can be the best choice?

A. Anne Finch’s. B. Mary Astell’s.

C. Mary Wortley Montagu’s. D. Mary Shelley’s.

Answer 1