COMMUNAL FORMATIONS: DEVELOPMENT OF GENDERED IDENTITIES IN EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY WOMEN’ S PERIODICALS A Dissertation by by EMILY ANNE JANDA MONTEIRO Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Katherine Kelly Committee Members, Marian Eide Claudia Nelson Cynthia Bouton Head of Department, Nancy Warren May 2013 Major Subject: English Copyright 2013 Emily Anne Janda Monteiro ABSTRACT Women’s periodicals at the start of the twentieth-century were not just recorders but also producers of social and cultural change. They can be considered to both represent and construct gender codes, offering readers constantly evolving communal identities. This dissertation asserts that the periodical genre is a valuable resource in the investigation of communal identity formation and seeks to reclaim for historians of British modernist feminism a neglected publication format of the early twentieth century. I explore the discursive space of three unique women’s periodicals, Bean na hÉireann, the Freewoman, and Indian Ladies Magazine, and argue that these publications exemplify the importance of the early twentieth-century British woman’s magazine-format periodical as a primary vehicle for the communication of feminist opinions. In order to interrogate how the dynamic nature of each periodical is reflected and reinforced in each issue, I rely upon a tradition of critical discourse analysis that evaluates the meaning created within and between printed columns, news articles, serial fiction, poetry, and short sketches within each publication. These items are found to be both representative of a similar value of open and frank discourse on all matters of gender subordination at that time and yet unique to each community of readers, contributors and editors. The dissertation then discusses the disparate physical, political, and social locations of each text, impact of such stressors on the periodical community, and the relationships between these three journals. Ultimately, I argue that each journal ii offers a unique model of contested feminist identity specific to the society and culture from which the periodical arises, and that is established within editorial columns and articles and practiced within the figurative space of poetry and fiction selections in each journal. iii For Alexis, who sent so many texts and wakeup calls For Allison, who always listened For my mother, Becky, whose encouragement is unconditional And for Jack, who married a graduate student anyway iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Kate Kelly, for her support and patience throughout the course of my research; your guidance has been insightful and useful in my progress towards the completion of, perhaps, one of the most important endeavors with which I have been engaged. Thanks also to my committee members, Dr. Marian Eide, Dr. Claudia Nelson, and Dr. Cynthia Bouton, for their invaluable feedback on my work. Special thanks go to Dr. Nainsi Houston for her tireless assistance and inspiration from archive to final draft; you will always be my mentor and preferred driver on the back roads near Galway. I could not have completed this project without the support of the faculty and staff of the English Department, particularly Paulette Lesher, who always has an answer to my questions. I also want to extend my gratitude to the English Department, Women’s Studies Program and the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research for financial support of archival research. I am also grateful for the assistance of Niall Bergin at the Kilmainham Gaol archives, Dublin, as well as the staff at the National Library of Ireland, and the British Library. Much gratitude goes to the friends too numerous to mention whose assistance has eased the emotional, mental, and intellectual burdens throughout my graduate student career. I would not have imagined this project possible had it not been for the belief in me shown by Brad Thomas, Mariah Delmont, and Sara Meyer. My colleagues and writing group members have motivated and commiserated with me throughout the v dissertation process—Anna Hall, Rochelle Bradley, Claire Odom, Emily Hoeflinger, Sara Day, Sarah Peters, and Sonya Sawyer Fritz. You listened to my heartaches, validated my assertions, and gave me examples to follow. Anna and Rochelle, I marvel at your attention to format and clarity, and am so very grateful for your red pens. Thanks also to Jesse Rester for your editorial expertise. It seems easy to say that without the love and support of my Janda, Carlson, and Owre families, I could not have pursued my academic and personal goals. To those that have gone before, I am grateful for the examples of hard work and determination set by my grandfathers, Burdette Carlson and Matthew C. Janda, Sr., and my grandmother, Elsie Janda, who may never know just how important her strength, love of knowledge, and support of all I endeavor is to me. To those still with us, you are a continued source of encouragement and challenge. Uncles Steve and Ismael, without your emotional and spiritual backing (along with your computer), this project may never have been finished. All of the positive thoughts sent my way from aunts and uncles, godparents, cousins and siblings have been deeply felt. My parents never said my dreams were too big, too hard, or impossible. And so I am forever indebted to my mother, Becky, who taught me through example that I can do anything I put my mind to, that the only opinion that matters is my own, and that it’s okay to read as much as I want, anywhere I want; and to the memory of my father, Michael, who I imagine would be quite proud of all I have accomplished. And finally, I want to express my gratitude to my husband, Jack, who is the best part of Texas, who listened to me on both bad and good days. Thank you most of all. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. ii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: THE ROLE OF PERIODICALS IN THE FORMATION OF EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY WOMEN’S IDENTITIES 1 The Validity of Periodicals as Literary Text ................................................. 2 Methodology ………………………………………….…………………… 7 Periodicals Function as Literary/Cultural Records ....................................... 9 Creation of Community in Periodical Studies ............................................... 13 Chapter Outline ……………………………………………………………. 19 CHAPTER II “MOUSE HEARTS AND MONKEY BRAINS”: THE FEMINIST-NATIONALIST BEAN NA HÉIREANN .............................................. 24 In the Beginning: A Manifesto ………………………………… ................. 33 Poetry Developed as Cultural Revisionist History ........................................ 39 The Trope of the Garden .............................................................................. 50 Marriage as Metaphor ................................................................................... 56 Serialized Development……………………………………………………. 59 CHAPTER III THE FREEWOMAN: A COMMUNAL SPACE FOR DIALOGUE AND DISSENT ........................................................................................................ 70 The Beginnings of a Journal .......................................................................... 72 Title of Importance ....................................................................................... 76 Circle of Readers .......................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER IV NEGOTIATING INDIA’S “NEW WOMAN”: A TRANSNATIONAL APPROACH TO THE INDIAN LADIES MAGAZINE .......... 99 vii Literary Gender Codes................................................................................... 107 Rights of the Married, Widowed, and Discarded .......................................... 116 Educational Reform for Women ................................................................... 122 CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................... 131 WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................ 135 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION: THE ROLE OF PERIODICALS IN THE FORMATION TWENTIETH-CENTURY WOMEN’S IDENTITIES OF EARLY In 2010, Jean Marie Lutes presented an overview of the state of affairs for twentieth-century periodical studies. Her call to action is echoed in this study’s assertion that literary scholarship would benefit from a reexamination of the literary and cultural merits of periodical publications. Lutes’s argument follows reputable work by numerous historians, Communication scholars, and literary critics that calls for a reassessment of the periodical genre, exemplifying the intense need for interdisciplinary collaboration and studies that cross disciplines. Margaret Beetham, Ann Ardis, Lucy Delap, Simon J. Potter, and Chandrika Kaul, among others, have argued for this same position in the past fifteen years: periodicals are valuable texts in the analysis of communal identity formation. Despite the very vocal