MALE USE of a FEMALE PSEUDONYM in NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH and AMERICAN LITERATURE Heather Anne Hannah
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MALE USE OF A FEMALE PSEUDONYM IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE Heather Anne Hannah BA English and Comparative Literature BA Communication and Cultural Studies BA Philosophy BA History (Hons1) This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Murdoch University 2018 Declaration I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research. It contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. Heather Anne Hannah ii Abstract During the nineteenth century, male writers in Britain and the United States of America used female pseudonyms much more frequently than is recognised today. The historically accepted understanding is that nineteenth- century women, not men, used cross-gender pseudonyms, a viewpoint commonly justified on the basis of presumed gender discrimination. However, previous historians and scholars have written very little about the male use of the female pseudonym in men’s authorship of literary genres. Drawing on theories of masculinity and its construction in specific historical contexts, my thesis shows why, between 1800 and 1919, increasing numbers of male writers in Britain and America authored texts under female pseudonyms, categorised by the genres of romantic fiction, juvenile literature, periodical contributions, and poetry. Histories of masculinity offer a context in which to consider how the cultural power of gendered expectations helps make sense of the male use of the female pseudonym. The insight – that male use of the female pseudonym is symptomatic of the limiting strictures of conventionally gendered boundaries in the social, professional and domestic realms – informs my thesis. Furthermore, this understanding enriches my appraisal of the more widely documented female use of the male pseudonym and enables my thorough comparison with male use of the female pseudonym. My thesis presents the first substantive catalogue and survey collating the particulars of men (forty-nine from Britain and forty-one from America) who used a female pseudonym in the nineteenth century. The thesis organises the motives that underpin the male writers’ practice of using a female pseudonym into three broad categories: personal, ideological, and commercial. It teases out these categories into numerous specific motives in order to describe, interpret, and evaluate the complexities of individual cases. Furthermore, it offers a nuanced analysis of the gendered coding of writing practices during the period, and overturns the standard narrative that the use of cross-gender pseudonyms during the nineteenth century was largely the preserve of women. iii Table Of Contents Page DECLARATION .................................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ..................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................. vi LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. vii INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 Methodological Approach and Overview of Data ......................................... 3 Literature Review ........................................................................................... 8 Theoretical Foundations for Interpreting Male Use of a Female Pseudonym ...................................................................................................................... 16 Overview of Thesis Structure ...................................................................... 19 CHAPTER 1: THE CONSTRUCTION OF MASCULINITIES IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN AND AMERICA ................................. 22 Masculinity Studies ...................................................................................... 22 A Brief History of Masculinities in Nineteenth-Century Britain and America ...................................................................................................................... 27 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 2: THE PSEUDONYM IN THE NINETEENTH-CENTURY LITERARY MARKETPLACE .......................................................................... 37 General Use of the Pseudonym .................................................................... 38 Uses and Genres of the Literary Pseudonym ............................................... 42 Periodicals (a) Newspapers ........................................................................................ 43 (b) Magazines .......................................................................................... 49 Adult Fiction (Books) .................................................................................. 58 Juvenile Literature ........................................................................................ 68 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 3: PERSONAL MOTIVES .............................................................. 76 (1) Writing in a Feminine Genre or Style .................................................... 77 (a) Novels ................................................................................................ 77 (b) Poetry ................................................................................................. 79 (c) Song Lyrics ........................................................................................ 85 (2) Separating Writing from Professional Career ........................................ 86 (3) Experimenting/Feeling Their Way ......................................................... 93 (4) Preventing Embarrassment or Scandal ................................................... 94 (5) Adopting Memorable Witty Names ....................................................... 98 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 102 Continued iv CHAPTER 4: IDEOLOGICAL MOTIVES ...................................................... 104 (1) Avoidance of Censorship or Subversion of Established Authorities ... 104 (a) Pamphlets ......................................................................................... 105 (b) Potentially Libellous Verse .............................................................. 106 (c) Militant Verse – The Irish Poets ...................................................... 108 (d) Pornography ..................................................................................... 111 (e) Offensive Content ............................................................................ 112 (2) Highlighting a Social, Political, or Economic Issue ............................. 114 (3) Instruction and Entertainment– Juvenile Literature ............................. 125 (4) Effecting Genuine Social Reform ........................................................ 130 (5) Exposing Absurdity .............................................................................. 133 (6) Imparting Useful Information – Advice Columns ............................... 139 (7) Deepening National Pride – Song Lyrics as Wartime Propaganda ...... 143 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 144 CHAPTER 5: COMMERCIAL MOTIVES ...................................................... 145 (1) Exploiting Popularity and Success of an Emerging Genre .................. 145 (a) Sensation Fiction .............................................................................. 145 (b) Series Stories for Girls ..................................................................... 150 (2) Supplementing Income ......................................................................... 154 (3) Entering Literary Competitions ............................................................ 161 (4) Promoting a Publication ....................................................................... 164 (5) Churning Out Hack Work .................................................................... 166 (6) Writing Dime Novels under House Names .......................................... 167 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 177 CHAPTER 6: FEMALE USE OF THE MALE PSEUDONYM ...................... 178 Separate Spheres ........................................................................................ 178 Female Resistance to Male Condescension ............................................... 181 British/American Male Pseudonyms ......................................................... 185 Female Empowerment ............................................................................... 189 Author Attribution ...................................................................................... 196 Conclusion ................................................................................................. 201 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................. 204 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................