Use of Pen Names by Female Writers
Female writers sometimes use pen names, or nom de plumes, when they decide to make their work available to the public, choosing not to claim it as their own. Often times, the pen names that they choose will be masculine or gender neutral, serving to conceal their female identity. A plethora of reasons have been provided by scholars and these writers as to why they would want to hide their true identity from their readers.
Many notable women authors used pen names in their work. For instance, George Eliot, who was one of the leading writers of Victorian literature, was actually a female author named Mary Ann Evans. Some of her notable works include: The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, and Middlemarch. She had been in a relationship with George Henry Lewes, a married man living apart from his wife. She adopted her masculine pen name both to facilitate publication and “as a way of taking on power and protection she did not feel (Karl 237, Leddy 1).”
Another woman author who used a masculine pen name was Louisa May Alcott, who adopted the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. Her coming of age novel, Little Women, is considered an American classic. Alcott wrote “under pen names, in part, because of a gender bias, because readers ‘had preconceived ideas about the “sappy” types of stories’ women were writing seems to be based on former critical attitudes toward sentimental novels by women authors such as Susan Warner, whose Wide, Wide World is mentioned by Jo in Little Women” (Crew 33).
In more recent times, author J.K. Rowling, who was born Joanne Rowling, decided to take on a gender neutral pen name. She is well known for being the creator of the critically acclaimed Harry Potter series. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers asked that she use two initials, rather than her full name, prompting her to add “K” as the second initial of her name, which comes from Kathleen, her grandmother’s name (Petrie 2).
Other female writers who took on male pen names include: French novelist George Sand, who was actually Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin, baronne Dudevant, Charlotte, Emily, and Anna Brontë, who adopted the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell respectively. More recent examples include: S. E. Hinton, J. D. Dobb, and G. A. Riplinger.
The motives behind pen name usage have long been an area of interest for critics and scholars alike. Female author Cal Orey, who used a pen name herself, states: “Using a pen name can make an author more noticeable, too. Jane Doe might be too plain a name to stand out next to, say, J.K. Rowling” (Orey 1). She elaborates that this noticeability of creative pen names allows “for maximum marketability.” Orey also adds another reason for using a pen name: “For pragmatic gender bending. As a rookie, I fell into technical writing. After a swarm of rejections, I sensed that my real name, Denise, was too feminine to be taken seriously. So I made a gender switch to help market articles. I chose Cal for its masculine sound, and because California is my native state. When I received my first acceptance letter addressed to Mr. Cal Orey, I knew I had chosen the right name” (Orey 2). In addition to commercial success, gender bias and inequality also motivates pseudonym usage by women.
The topic of gender inequality frequently makes its way into discussions concerning female literary contribution. As with Rowling’s case, women authors face difficulties in the publication process due to their femininity. Additionally, readers are less likely to consume work by a female writer simply on the basis of her gender. This inherent bias in society plays a role in women resorting to male pen name use (Watson 348).
Solutions have been proposed by scholars to counteract the inequality and bias experienced by women in the arts. Feminist writer, Peggy McIntosh states that the key to eliminating the male privilege is to acknowledge it. As she puts it, “To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions. The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here. They keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete, protecting unearned advantage and conferred dominance by making these taboo subjects” (McIntosh 5). She states: “After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious” (McIntosh 1). According to her, the gender bias and inequality experienced by female authors can be ended only through a conscious effort of society to acknowledge the privileges given to males; the oppression experienced by these women is a product of subconscious aversion to admitting these social norms.
Many notable women authors used pen names in their work. For instance, George Eliot, who was one of the leading writers of Victorian literature, was actually a female author named Mary Ann Evans. Some of her notable works include: The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, and Middlemarch. She had been in a relationship with George Henry Lewes, a married man living apart from his wife. She adopted her masculine pen name both to facilitate publication and “as a way of taking on power and protection she did not feel (Karl 237, Leddy 1).”
Another woman author who used a masculine pen name was Louisa May Alcott, who adopted the pseudonym A. M. Barnard. Her coming of age novel, Little Women, is considered an American classic. Alcott wrote “under pen names, in part, because of a gender bias, because readers ‘had preconceived ideas about the “sappy” types of stories’ women were writing seems to be based on former critical attitudes toward sentimental novels by women authors such as Susan Warner, whose Wide, Wide World is mentioned by Jo in Little Women” (Crew 33).
In more recent times, author J.K. Rowling, who was born Joanne Rowling, decided to take on a gender neutral pen name. She is well known for being the creator of the critically acclaimed Harry Potter series. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers asked that she use two initials, rather than her full name, prompting her to add “K” as the second initial of her name, which comes from Kathleen, her grandmother’s name (Petrie 2).
Other female writers who took on male pen names include: French novelist George Sand, who was actually Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin, baronne Dudevant, Charlotte, Emily, and Anna Brontë, who adopted the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell respectively. More recent examples include: S. E. Hinton, J. D. Dobb, and G. A. Riplinger.
The motives behind pen name usage have long been an area of interest for critics and scholars alike. Female author Cal Orey, who used a pen name herself, states: “Using a pen name can make an author more noticeable, too. Jane Doe might be too plain a name to stand out next to, say, J.K. Rowling” (Orey 1). She elaborates that this noticeability of creative pen names allows “for maximum marketability.” Orey also adds another reason for using a pen name: “For pragmatic gender bending. As a rookie, I fell into technical writing. After a swarm of rejections, I sensed that my real name, Denise, was too feminine to be taken seriously. So I made a gender switch to help market articles. I chose Cal for its masculine sound, and because California is my native state. When I received my first acceptance letter addressed to Mr. Cal Orey, I knew I had chosen the right name” (Orey 2). In addition to commercial success, gender bias and inequality also motivates pseudonym usage by women.
The topic of gender inequality frequently makes its way into discussions concerning female literary contribution. As with Rowling’s case, women authors face difficulties in the publication process due to their femininity. Additionally, readers are less likely to consume work by a female writer simply on the basis of her gender. This inherent bias in society plays a role in women resorting to male pen name use (Watson 348).
Solutions have been proposed by scholars to counteract the inequality and bias experienced by women in the arts. Feminist writer, Peggy McIntosh states that the key to eliminating the male privilege is to acknowledge it. As she puts it, “To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions. The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here. They keep the thinking about equality or equity incomplete, protecting unearned advantage and conferred dominance by making these taboo subjects” (McIntosh 5). She states: “After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious” (McIntosh 1). According to her, the gender bias and inequality experienced by female authors can be ended only through a conscious effort of society to acknowledge the privileges given to males; the oppression experienced by these women is a product of subconscious aversion to admitting these social norms.
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