... during which women were generally oppressed and relegated to second-class status. Third, depicting women as independent, thinking individuals was largely frowned upon until very recently, and authors had to roughly follow societal norms to receive praise for their work. Finally, particularly prior to the 19th century, the complex sexual, social, biological, and psychological ... components of a female character's development were considered inappropriate for serious literature. Nonetheless. Some authors - even in the 17th century an earlier - attempted to depict female characters that w...

• Word Count: 2278
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate