Literary coteries and the Irish women writers’ club (1933-1958)

This thesis examines the Women Writers' Club and the significant contribution of women writers to Irish literary and print culture during the period 1930-1960. It reveals a network of female writers and publishers who influenced the production and reception of texts and the affiliations which shaped contemporary cultural practices. As illustrated in my ‘Web of Women Writers’, these associative networks connected diverse female authors and facilitated their engagement with important social and political issues. The women authors who formed the membership of the Women Writers’ Club established a ‘Book of the Year’ award. This literary prize generated a corpus of women’s writing, a compilation of a rich body of work which reflected the ethos of this women-centred club. Furthermore, my thesis examines the leading role which women writers played in mainstream and periodical publishing. Using a case history approach, I offer the first full account of the feminist private printing press, The Gayfield Press, assessing critically the aesthetic vision of its owners. I also consider the social and political coding within the texts it produced. In addition to discussing publishing practices, my thesis also considers the reading practices of a dissident cultural elite through a case history study of an intellectual woman of the period. Finally, this thesis contextualizes the Women Writers’ Club within a broader artistic milieu which includes the United Arts Club, Irish P.E.N and the Irish Academy of Letters. It also offers the first account of Irish P.E.N and the role of women writers within this club. In conclusion, this thesis challenges the notion of a hegemonic male?dominated literary scene, opens up new avenues for investigation into the role of cultural clubs in Irish history and offers a fresh perspective on women writers in Ireland in the mid-twentieth century.