Ella Hepworth Dixon
Ella Hepworth Dixon (1857-1932) was a notable English writer and feminist, recognized for her contributions to literature and her advocacy for women's rights. Born to a family deeply involved in social issues—her mother was a feminist and her father an editor—Dixon received a diverse education in Germany and pursued artistic studies in Paris. She embarked on her writing career following her father's death, contributing to various publications, including editing the Englishwoman and working for Oscar Wilde's Woman's World magazine. Dixon is best known for her serialized novel *My Flirtations* (1892) and her work *The Story of a Modern Woman* (1894), both of which feature strong female protagonists navigating the complexities of societal expectations and romantic entanglements. Through her narratives, she utilized humor to critique the English social and political landscape, particularly focusing on the exploitation of women. Her writings reflect the ideals of the New Woman movement, encouraging women to challenge their traditional roles in society. Dixon's work remains significant for its examination of gender dynamics and advocacy for women's independence.
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Ella Hepworth Dixon
Fiction Writer
- Born: March 27, 1857
- Birthplace: London, England
- Died: January 12, 1932
- Place of death: London, England
Biography
Ella Hepworth Dixon was born in 1857 to feminist Marian MacMahon Dixon and editor William Hepworth. While the bulk of her education was by private tutor in Heidelberg, Germany, she also attended the London School of Music and studied art in Paris. In her youth, she traveled to Algeria, Canada, Morocco, and Russia. Dixon began her writing career upon the death of her father by writing short stories and essays.
She worked as editor of the Englishwoman from March,1895 through September,1896. Between 1888 and 1890, she worked for playwright Oscar Wilde’s Woman’s World magazine. In her serialized novel My Flirtations (1892), published under the pseudonym Margaret Wynman, the flirtatious protagonist is chased by a series of silly men, based on real people, to illustrate the hypocrisy and pain women undergo in the battle of the sexes. Out of a sense of social responsibility and to enjoy a brighter financial future, the narrator ultimately settles for a middle-aged businessman, who views her solely as an aesthetic object.
In The Story of a Modern Woman (1894), Dixon paints a portrait of New Woman protagonist Mary Erle, whose father has just died. Without a man to support her, she becomes engaged to a man who in time marries a far richer woman. He declares his undying love for Mary and desires her to be his mistress. Albeit still in love, at the end Mary remains alone. Dixon, who personally sought to achieve financial independence through writing, remains recognized for her use of humor to expose the hypocrisy of the English social system, the upper-class political system, the British business establishment, and, in particular, the exploitation of women. In the tradition of the New Woman writers who cried out against the English social order, her work thematically reaches out to women, urging them to deny their socially circumscribed roles.