Women writers - Fame, faith and influence by Sheila Johnson

 I did a virtual tour of Jane Austen's house in Chawton, Hampshire recently, and it was brilliant. Not only was it easy to facilitate, as Hampshire is quite a way for us, but it was also much more informative than our actual visit a few years ago. The two ladies leading it were a fount of knowledge about Jane and her family which was really interesting. 

One fact that we learnt was that Jane was influenced in her writing by the novels of Fanny Burney, a name we hardly hear of these days, and Mrs Gaskell, hardly read either. This got me thinking of an article I read recently about women writers who were very popular in their own day but have largely fallen into obscurity now. There was the prolific Scottish writer, Annie Swan, who was made a CBE for her services to literature in 1930. Zora Neale Hurston, an American black writer, has been a great influence on the poet, Maya Angelou, and novelists Toni Morrison and Alice Walker. Or the Irish writer, Molly Keane, whose unpublished novel (not sure if it was ever published) 'Good Behaviour' was shortlisted for the 1981 Booker Prize. Elizabeth Jenkins, who won the Femina Vie Heureuse Prize for her novel, 'Harriet' and an OBE in 1981 for her novel, 'The Tortoise and the Hare', was instrumental in saving and restoring Jane Austen's house in Chawton and in founding the Jane Austen society. Perhaps Jane owes as much to her as Fanny Burney and Mrs Gaskell.

Why do we write and how well known will our books be posthumously? I know that I hated my school days where I was bullied and at times had few friends, and used to tell myself that one day I'd be a famous writer and then they'd be sorry. As I reach more senior years, I don't expect that to happen now and in some ways, I'm not sure I want it to. It might mean being away from home a lot at various literary festivals. I want a quiet life. Now I'm more philosophic. As Christian writers, we write to glorify God. 

I wrote my first book, Alpha Male, to explain what an Alpha Course is and how to become a Christian. My second book, Waireka, was more about the family story of my ancestor in pioneering New Zealand, but I'd like to think that through her tough and challenging story, Eliza's faith shines through. I hope that's the case with all the articles and writings I have contributed to, as well. In the end, as Christian writers that's the most important thing isn't it? And although fame may not seek us out, who knows a future Jane Austen might be influenced by something we've written or perhaps, more importantly, one person might find faith through something we've written. 

Me at Chawton as a Regency lady

Sheila Johnson lives in Cheltenham and is a qualified journalist who has written for a number of publications both local and national. She has also written two books under her pen name Sheila Donald, Alpha Male and Waireka. Her website can be found at www.journojohnson.com