"Every woman who appears wrestles with the forces that would have her disappear.
She struggles with the forces that would tell her story for her, or write h er out of the
story, the genealogy, the rights of man, the rule of law. The ability to tell your own
story, in words or images, is already a victory, already a revolt.”
— Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things to Me
Women read. They write too.
They may be fairly obvious statements to you and me, but not to everyone,
definitely not since always. In this time and era, it is difficult to imagine that
women telling their own stories wasn’t always the case. When did women begin
to write and get published? Why and for whom did they write? What did they hope
to achieve? What does the world, especially the women of today, owe to them and
their voices?
This course is meant to be an exploration of writings by and about women.
Through readings of examples from various genres, we will attempt to understand
the realities and aspirations of women (and women writers) better . It is hoped
that our reflections will result in a deeper comprehension of the world we inhabit
and those we share it with.
- Teacher: Neethu S Kumar