Beatrice Harraden
Beatrice Harraden (1864-1936) was a notable British author and early feminist figure born in London. Educated at Queen's College and Bedford College, she achieved an impressive honors degree in classics and mathematics in 1883, a remarkable feat for women of her time. Harraden became actively involved in the suffragette movement and was a founding member of the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), which provided her the opportunity to travel extensively across Europe and the United States advocating for women's rights.
Her literary debut, "Little Rosebud: Or, Things Will Take a Turn" (1891), introduces themes of friendship and compassion through the eyes of a young girl. Harraden gained significant acclaim with her second novel, "Ships That Pass in the Night" (1893), which sold over a million copies and tells a poignant love story set against the backdrop of illness and tragedy. In "Hilda Strafford" (1897), she explores the complexities of gender relationships and societal expectations through her strong female protagonist. Harraden's work often reflects the struggles of women and the individual's alienation in the modern world, with her characters serving as early prototypes of feminist ideals.
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Subject Terms
Beatrice Harraden
Writer
- Born: January 24, 1864
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: May 5, 1936
Biography
Beatrice Harraden was born in London in 1864 to importer Samuel Harraden and Rosalie Lindstedt Harraden. She attended Queen’s College and Bedford College. In 1883, she earned an honors degree in classics and mathematics—an amazing accomplishment for a woman in this era. Although Harraden never earned an important place within the literary ranks, she is considered to be an important early feminist writer. Indeed, she was one of the leaders of the suffragette movement and a founder of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). Her work for the women’s movement allowed her to travel throughout Europe and the United States.
Harraden’s first published work, Little Rosebud: Or, Things Will Take a Turn (1891) tells of a young girl who lives with her grandfather and befriends a handicapped child. Her Ships That Pass in the Night (1893), was an enormous success and sold more than one million copies. In it, two people who suffer from tuberculosis meet at the Kurhaus spa in Switzerland. The protagonist, Bernadine, a socially active independent teacher and writer, falls in love with the playboy Robert, despite warnings from other patients. After she leaves the spa, he fallows her to England to marry her but Bernadine suddenly dies in a traffic accident.
In Hilda Strafford (1897), the protagonist Hilda moves to a California lemon farm to marry Robert Strafford. Because of her strength and independence, she is viewed as hard and cold. Despite her best efforts, after a severe storm she cannot comfort her husband, and when she tells him of her true state of unhappiness as a settler’s wife, he dies from the shock. When she turns to his friend Ben for comfort, he regards her as unfeeling, despite his attraction for her.
Thematically, Harraden explored gender relationships and the alienation of the individual in the modern world. Her strong, independent yet maternal and morally superior female characters are regarded as prototypes of the modern feminist.