Bluestocking
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Bluestocking is an online journal that investigates the intellectual and artistic achievements of women throughout history. It acts as a base for critical and insightful research into the work of female thinkers, raising the profile of women as major actors in the history of ideas, both past and present.
Bluestocking
1w ago
By Ouissal Moumou Imagine you were entirely freed from the constraints of societal norms, moral imperatives, and cultural expectations. Would your desires remain the same, or would they be transformed? It is necessary to ask these questions after reading Amia Srinivasan’s The Right to Sex, published in 2021, where the dynamics of freedom, power, and ..read more
Bluestocking
1M ago
By Francesca Lamberti “From a woman, sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die.” Here Ecclesiasticus 25:33 pithily encapsulates the Judeo-Christian curse of the daughters of Eve: women, descendants of the original sinning body, are bound to the myth of the Fall. When the serpent convinced Eve to take a bite from ..read more
Bluestocking
2M ago
By Marshella Foreshaw As the final scene of the play closed, scattered applause filled the room, soon interrupted by a woman’s clear voice: “Bravo! Bravo! Author!”. Though it was only a dress rehearsal of Don Juan, her cry carried a strange sincerity. The audience, caught by the moment’s charm, took up the chant, “Author! Author ..read more
Bluestocking
3M ago
By Meagan Cea ‘Out rush’d a Female to protect the Bard, Snatch’d up her Spear, and for the fight prepar’d: Attack’d the Vet’ran, pierc’d his Sev’n-fold Shield, And drove him wounded, fainting from the field.’ From ‘The Dream’, David Garrick At a time when women were legally barred from attending university, there were few opportunities ..read more
Bluestocking
4M ago
By Anna Malik Audrey Hepburn, the doe-eyed film and fashion icon, is remembered as the epitome of feminine beauty and grace. Her iconic roles in Roman Holiday (1953), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and My Fair Lady (1964) lend to her glamorous public perception and global fame. With her slender frame, soft-spoken manner, and unique elegance ..read more
Bluestocking
4M ago
By Zoe Wilkinson Art gave Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun access to the world of the aristocracy. From Marie-Antoinette to the Russian court, her portraits were central in representing women of the era. There is a sense of nostalgia and solidarity in Vigée Le Brun’s comment that ‘women reigned then; the revolution dethroned them’. The reality ..read more
Bluestocking
5M ago
By Asha Levy ‘At the time I began to write, a change in the direction, imagery, and rhythms in poetry had become necessary, owing to the rhythmical flaccidity, the verbal deadness, the dead and expected patterns, of some of the poetry immediately preceding us.’ This statement from the opening pages of Dame Edith Sitwell’s ‘Some ..read more
Bluestocking
6M ago
By Jui Zaveri Autobiography creates a sense of exceptionality. As Rousseau wrote in his Confessions (1782), “I am not like anyone I have ever met. I dare to say I am not like anyone in the whole world”. Female autobiography, specifically journal writing as a form of secret life-writing, offers an insight into the individual ..read more
Bluestocking
6M ago
By Grace Hackett If you’ve recently visited a museum with an antiquities section, you’ve probably passed by dozens upon dozens of black and orange pots without a second thought. They all look fairly similar, painted people in profile going about their ancient lives. It’s easy to dismiss them. But you shouldn’t. The huge volume of ..read more
Bluestocking
8M ago
By Moomal Sethar The year 1649 left a remarkable yet distressing imprint on British politics. Negating the principle of Divine Right was the execution of Charles I, whilst the preceding English Civil War sent shockwaves amongst both royalists and parliamentarians, inspiring the creation of the infamous ‘World Turned Upside Down’ ballad. Given the subsequent fruition ..read more