Wielding the Pen: Writings on Authorship by American Women of the Nineteenth Century

Wielding the Pen presents a wide spectrum of nineteenth—century American women’s writings on the themes of authorship and creativity. These works reflect the fears, desires, and motivations of female authors, as well as the opportunities and obstacles they encountered as professional writers.

Anne E. Boyd includes representative samples from a diverse range of writers. These writings, some of which are reprinted here for the first time, challenge prevailing notions about women and authorship...