The Women Who Wrote Before They Were Allowed to Speak
Published: January 29, 2025
When we think of the great American transcendentalists, names like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau immediately come to mind. Their works—Emerson’s Nature and Thoreau’s Walden—have shaped American philosophy, celebrating individualism, self-reliance, and a deep connection with nature. Yet, these celebrated figures were not alone in their intellectual pursuits. Women like Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Peabody, and Sophia Peabody contributed just as much to the movement but were often overlooked, dismissed, or forced to write behind the scenes.
The erasure of women writers
The exclusion of women from the literary canon is not unique to transcendentalism; it is a historical pattern. Women were often denied formal education, barred from publishing under their own names, or forced into supporting roles in intellectual circles. Even when their works were published, they were frequently dismissed as secondary to those of their male peers.
This erasure wasn’t simply a result of ignorance—it was systemic. The literary establishment, controlled by men, dictated what was deemed “serious literature.” Women writing about philosophical, social, or political issues were met with skepticism, while their male counterparts were celebrated as visionaries. Those who persisted had to navigate a world that constantly tried to diminish their intellectual contributions.
Pseudonyms and anonymity: writing in the shadows
Many female writers resorted to using male pen names to gain credibility. The Brontë sisters—Charlotte, Emily, and Anne—published their early works under the names Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell to avoid the biases against female authors. George Eliot, born Mary Ann Evans, used a male pseudonym to ensure her novels were taken seriously. These women were not anomalies; they were part of a long tradition of female writers who masked their identities to be heard.
Even those who wrote under their real names often struggled to gain recognition. Margaret Fuller, one of the leading intellectuals of her time, was a brilliant writer, critic, and advocate for women’s rights. Her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century was groundbreaking, yet she remains far less known than Emerson or Thoreau. Fuller was instrumental in shaping transcendentalist thought, yet history largely remembers her as Emerson’s disciple rather than an independent thinker.
Similarly, Elizabeth Peabody was a towering figure in 19th-century intellectual circles. She founded the first English-language kindergarten in America and played a crucial role in introducing transcendentalist ideas to a broader audience. Despite her contributions, she is often relegated to a footnote in the history of the movement.
A legacy worth reclaiming
The erasure of these women is a disservice not only to them but to the literary and philosophical traditions they helped shape. Their works deserve to be studied alongside those of their male counterparts. Feminist scholars have worked tirelessly to bring these figures back into the conversation, but mainstream recognition is still lacking.
The question remains: Why do we continue to uphold a literary canon that excludes so many voices? Perhaps it’s time to revisit the history books and give these women the recognition they always deserved.