In the late nineteen eighties, a magazine called New Woman hit the shelves in the U.K. Less political than empowering, the magazine positioned itself as a publication for women who were confident, independent, and perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. The magazine's name was a tribute to the New Woman movement of the late nineteenth century. The movement influenced feminism; the term referred to independent women wanting radical and immediate change, and an end to the patriarchal society to which they were subjected. The movement was championed by many of the leading writers of the day, including Henrik Ibsen, Henry James, and H.G. Wells.
Ann Veronica is considered the forgotten fiction of H.G. Wells; it tells the story of a feminist rebellion, as the eponymous protagonist Ann Veronica strikes out against her father's middle-class, draconian patriarchal home where she is treated like a child, even though she is a grown woman of twenty-two. Wells based the character on his lover, Amber Reeves, a feminist writer, and scholar. Wells also gives the reader a positive glimpse of the suffrage movement in Great Britain, and includes a real-life incident in the book; in 1908, the Suffragettes attempted to storm the British Parliament. The interweaving of fictional and real-life events was very effective in driving home the lack of power over their own lives that women had at the time.
The novel was controversial at the time and also caused a sensation because of its feminist agenda. The Spectator derided the novel, accusing it of being inflammatory, and capable of influencing the way women thought. Feminism was a terrifying concept for the status quo-loving society at the time and Wells' book became divisive and scandalous.
In 1952, British film star Margaret Lockwood played the title role in the television adaptation of the novel.
H.G. Wells was a British writer considered a futurist, and he was also an outspoken social critic who used his literary talents to further causes he believed to be important. His most famous works, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds all earned him Nobel Prize for Literature nominations. Winston Churchill borrowed phrases from Wells for his earliest speech as Prime Minister, describing the rise of Nazi Germany using words used by Wells in The War of the Worlds in which Britain is invaded by an alien army. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948, was inspired by his 1940 work The Rights of Man, and although he never got to see this happen - he passed away in 1946 - the declaration was considered a validation of his political and social activism.
The New Woman movement set in motion by Wells' novel was reflected in the magazine New Woman, which was founded in the late 1980s. The magazine was aimed at a more modern, independent version of the woman who wanted to make her own decisions in life. It was a platform for women to talk about their experiences and feelings, and to create a community of like-minded individuals. It also featured articles on fashion, health and beauty, relationships, and celebrity interviews. The magazine was a huge success, and many of the articles and interviews featured in it were seen as groundbreaking. One of the most notable of these was an interview with Margaret Thatcher, the first female Prime Minister of the UK. While many women admired her for her strength and ambition, others were critical of her policies. New Woman was a platform for women to discuss these kinds of issues, and to use the magazine to discuss their own experiences. Ann Veronica was one of Wells' lesser-known works, but its impact was still significant, particularly in the way it inspired women to stand up for their rights. Wells depicted the life of a young woman living in a society where women had no rights, and the book was seen as a wake-up call for women to take action and fight for the liberty and equality they deserved. The book was a powerful call to arms for women and a reminder that men should not be allowed to dictate their lives. Wells was a passionate advocate for equality and social justice, and his work Ann Veronica is a shining example of this. He used his platform to speak out against inequality and gender roles, and his work had a powerful impact on the feminist movement. If the 1980s New Woman Magazine was a reminder of how far we have come and how far we still need to go to achieve true equality... then all of these musings derive from the very earliest of pioneers going back to the Victorian era and the early 1900s.
