Three Classics You Might Not Know Were Written By Women

Despite historically negative social attitudes towards female writers, and the practical limitations of literary education being targeted only at men, some of the greatest writers ever to have lived are women - but you might not know it.

Check out these famous books that you’ve almost certainly heard of, but that you might not know were penned by women.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

This 1871-72 classic has long been part of the established literary canon, telling the story of an imagined 19th century society, with various male and female characters whose lives overlap and interlink in interesting ways. George Eliot was lauded for ‘his’ ability to understand the emotional workings of the female mind; unbeknownst to the public and his critics, ‘he’ was actually a she. George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, who concealed her identity for years.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

These iconic stories about the world’s best nanny was written by Pamela Lyndon Travers, who used her initials only - presumably in order to make her work appealing to readers who might prefer a male author. First published in London in 1934, the book series inspired the incredibly successful musical Disney film from 1964, although it’s reported the author herself wasn’t a huge fan!

Indiana by George Sand

This 1831 classic is a socially aware novel about the difficulties of marital obligation. The story is about a woman who is unhappily married and decides to leave her husband, and the book acts a defense against all women who choose to challenge the social norm in pursuit of their own happiness and fulfillment. George Sand was actually the pen name of Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dudevant, who thought that her political views would likely be taken more seriously if she were thought to be a man.

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Banned! Classic Books That Were Removed From Circulation

There are some books which clearly present more challenging themes and unsurprisingly get excluded from schools and libraries or even removed from circulation entirely. However, there are some books which seem fairly innocuous but still manage to rile up certain groups. Take a look at these three classics which were considered so awful they were completely banned.

Ulysses by James Joyce

The 1922 work of fiction by James Joyce is considered one of the true classics so it’s unthinkable to consider that it wouldn’t be widely available. Yet when it was published it was deemed to be obscene due to both the sexual content within and the language used. The book was kept away from the US and any copies which tried to creep in were unceremoniously burned. The ban was overturned in 1933 when the publisher challenged the ruling in court and won.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

A piece of political commentary dressed up a novella, there’s no question that Animal Farm could have been controversial. However, the anti-Stalin sentiment was felt to be so unacceptable that the book was banned in 1946 within Yugoslavia, banned in 1991 in Kenya and banned yet again in UAE in 2002. Even in the more lenient UK, the subject was considered borderline with the release heavily delayed.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Written in 1865, Alice’s adventures have captivated generation after generation but not all readers around the world have had the privilege of having access to the text. In the Hunan district, the book was summarily banned in 1931 because the idea of having talking animals was deemed to be disrespectful to humans by putting them on the “same level”.

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The impact of Dante’s Inferno

It has been over 700 years since Dante’s Inferno was first written, and a despite the age of the manuscript, it is still one book that has a huge influence on pop culture. Here’s how Dante’s Inferno is still impacting our lives.

The questions it asks

One of the main reasons that Dante’s Inferno has remained so popular is because of the questions that it asks. These questions are the ones for the ages, the questions that seem far beyond human understanding, but we take each of the questions and try to improve our knowledge and philosophies in an attempt to answer them – What is evil? What is redemption?

Understand the forms of human evil

As the first of the divine comedies, Dante’s Inferno looks at all the different types of human evil from the minor to the most depraved and brings them all before the eyes of the reader. Yes, you are in a torture chamber of evil, but it goes beyond that to a level that forces you to question the nature of evil.

The appearances in all elements of culture

All three parts of the Divine Comedies feature within popular culture, but particularly Dante’s Inferno. From the art of Giovanni di Paolo where he represents Paradisio, to the Auguste Rodin’s sculpture group, the gates of hell, the imagery of Inferno has provided plenty of fodder for artists. But the impact does not stop there. Chaucer, Milton, Marx, T.S. Eliot, E. M. Forster, Philip Pullman and even Dan Brown all draw on elements of Dante’s Inferno in their work. And of course the phrase “Abandon hope all Ye who enter here” is inscribed above the gates of hell in Dante’s Inferno, and is an often quoted line in TV and cinema.

For more on how the classics impact the modern world, visit www.lassmedia.com where you will find more interesting effects and legacies that classic literature has left behind.

Animal Farm – socialist Russia in animal form

On its surface a simple drama about talking animals, George Orwell’s revolutionary novel, Animal Farm, has a much deeper and darker critique of the Soviet Union within. In this piece we look at the representation of socialist Russia in George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Orwell’s targets in Animal Farm are the history of the 1917 Russian Revolution the rise of communist dictator Joseph Stalin beginning in 1927, with Stalinism subjected to particularly biting focus. Where in reality the ruling Russian Tsars were overthrown by the people and replaced with government, in the book the farm animals overthrow the farmer Mr Jones, depicted as drunk and inept. The pigs then go on to form their own democracy and ruling class, especially the pigs, but events eventually turn darker as Orwell moves into his Stalinism critique.

One of the novel’s main action points is the battle for dominance between the pigs Snowball and Napoleon, Orwell’s bestial versions of Stalin opponent Leon Trotsky and Stalin himself. Like the idealistic, almost heroic, Trotsky, Snowball is less powerful than Napoleon and as such is exiled from the farm, echoing Trotsky’s own expulsion from the Soviet Union.

From executions to false confessions of misdeeds, the pigs in Animal Farm degenerate further and further to eventually come close to resembling men, their once hated overlords-turned business partners. Much like Stalin’s transformation into a tyrannical dictator, Napoleon becomes a version of Mr Jones, even walking on two legs in a complete rejection of his animal roots. Animal Farm is most effective not in simply showing the abuse of power, but the horrific and heart-breaking hypocrisy at the heart of dictatorships.

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Book-themed Christmas surprises

Christmas is now literally right around the corner and the festivities are fully underway. Whether you’re someone who plans Christmas months before or leaves everything to the last minute, we’ve got some surprise ideas for you. Presents are a large part of Christmas, however, these surprise ideas are more about things you can do for someone - someone who loves all things books.

Pop a new read on their bed Christmas Eve night - The best way to spend Christmas Eve is cozied up in pajamas and hanging out with your family, doing homely activities. If your partner or kids love to read, pop a new book on their bed so when they go to bed, they’ll be able to start a new book just before Christmas begins.

Play a new audiobook to the kids - When you’re sitting down by the fire together drinking hot chocolates, instead of a movie, put on an audiobook - preferably a Christmas one. It’ll be a nice change and surprise as you all delve into a new story together.

Christmas treats - Everyone loves food so a lovely book-themed Christmas idea, is to bake cookies or cupcakes in relation to your family’s favorite book characters. Of course the result all depends on talent, however, we can assure you, everyone will still enjoy them despite the outcome.

Christmas crackers - It’s tradition to all have Christmas crackers during Christmas dinner and to make it more special, make your own. To make them book themed, you could put in book quotes, or questions about a book instead of jokes.

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