From the late nineteenth century women began to enter British universities. Their numbers were small and their gains hard won and fiercely contested, yet they inspired a whole new genre of fiction. This collection of largely forgotten and rare texts forms a valuable primary resource for scholars of literature, social history and women's education.

The years 1890-1945 saw an unprecedented outpouring of fiction focused on British university life, much of it reflecting the drastic change that had swept through the higher education system in the late nineteenth century. Among these narratives, a significant subgroup focused on the lives of women students, newly admitted to the structures of higher education system, their presence still stridently, and sometimes even violently, opposed, especially at Oxbridge. These novels and short stories collected here, largely unknown today, were widely discussed and debated in the public sphere during the early twentieth century, contributing not only to the formation of public knowledge and opinion about education through cultural figures like the 'Girton Girl' or the 'undergraduette,' but also sparking debate about many wider social and cultural issues, from the place of the women writer in the literary scene to the emergence of new discourses around psychology and the body. The majority have not been reprinted since their original publication, and until now have been rarely available to scholars. The publication of Women's University Narratives, 1890-1945, therefore, provides a major new resource for scholarship in many areas, including women's studies, educational history, and literary and cultural modernism.

The years 1890-1945 saw an unprecedented outpouring of fiction focused on British university life, much of it reflecting the drastic change that had swept through the higher education system in the late nineteenth century. Among these narratives, a significant subgroup focused on the lives of women students, newly admitted to the structures of higher education system, their presence still stridently, and sometimes even violently, opposed, especially at Oxbridge. These novels and short stories collected here, largely unknown today, were widely discussed and debated in the public sphere during the early twentieth century, contributing not only to the formation of public knowledge and opinion about education through cultural figures like the 'Girton Girl' or the 'undergraduette,' but also sparking debate about many wider social and cultural issues, from the place of the women writer in the literary scene to the emergence of new discourses around psychology and the body. The majority have not been reprinted since their original publication, and until now have been rarely available to scholars. The publication of Women's University Narratives, 1890-1945, therefore, provides a major new resource for scholarship in many areas, including women's studies, educational history, and literary and cultural modernism.

The years 1890-1945 saw an unprecedented outpouring of fiction focused on British university life, much of it reflecting the drastic change that had swept through the higher education system in the late nineteenth century. Among these narratives, a significant subgroup focused on the lives of women students, newly admitted to the structures of higher education system, their presence still stridently, and sometimes even violently, opposed, especially at Oxbridge. These novels and short stories collected here, largely unknown today, were widely discussed and debated in the public sphere during the early twentieth century, contributing not only to the formation of public knowledge and opinion about education through cultural figures like the 'Girton Girl' or the 'undergraduette,' but also sparking debate about many wider social and cultural issues, from the place of the women writer in the literary scene to the emergence of new discourses around psychology and the body. The majority have not been reprinted since their original publication, and until now have been rarely available to scholars. The publication of Women's University Narratives, 1890-1945, therefore, provides a major new resource for scholarship in many areas, including women's studies, educational history, and literary and cultural modernism.

The rise of the middle classes brought a sharp increase in the number of young men and women able to attend university. Developing in the wake of this increase, the university novel often centred on male undergraduates at either Oxford or Cambridge. Bogen argues that an analysis of the lesser known female narratives can provide new insights.

The rise of the middle classes brought a sharp increase in the number of young men and women able to attend university. Developing in the wake of this increase, the university novel often centred on male undergraduates at either Oxford or Cambridge. Bogen argues that an analysis of the lesser known female narratives can provide new insights into education, religion, politics, literary culture and sexuality. Works by Virginia Woolf, Rosamond Lehman and Vera Brittain - as well as many forgotten writers - are used as case studies and are set in their literary and historical context. The female university novel is shown to be less a universal tale of coming-of-age and more fraught with struggle and compromise.

The years 1890-1945 saw an unprecedented outpouring of fiction focused on British university life, much of it reflecting the drastic change that had swept through the higher education system in the late nineteenth century. Among these narratives, a significant subgroup focused on the lives of women students, newly admitted to the structures of higher education system, their presence still stridently, and sometimes even violently, opposed, especially at Oxbridge. These novels and short stories collected here, largely unknown today, were widely discussed and debated in the public sphere during the early twentieth century, contributing not only to the formation of public knowledge and opinion about education through cultural figures like the 'Girton Girl' or the 'undergraduette,' but also sparking debate about many wider social and cultural issues, from the place of the women writer in the literary scene to the emergence of new discourses around psychology and the body. The majority have not been reprinted since their original publication, and until now have been rarely available to scholars. The publication of Women's University Narratives, 1890-1945, therefore, provides a major new resource for scholarship in many areas, including women's studies, educational history, and literary and cultural modernism.

The years 1890-1945 saw an unprecedented outpouring of fiction focused on British university life, much of it reflecting the drastic change that had swept through the higher education system in the late nineteenth century. Among these narratives, a significant subgroup focused on the lives of women students, newly admitted to the structures of higher education system, their presence still stridently, and sometimes even violently, opposed, especially at Oxbridge. These novels and short stories collected here, largely unknown today, were widely discussed and debated in the public sphere during the early twentieth century, contributing not only to the formation of public knowledge and opinion about education through cultural figures like the 'Girton Girl' or the 'undergraduette,' but also sparking debate about many wider social and cultural issues, from the place of the women writer in the literary scene to the emergence of new discourses around psychology and the body. The majority have not been reprinted since their original publication, and until now have been rarely available to scholars. The publication of Women's University Narratives, 1890-1945, therefore, provides a major new resource for scholarship in many areas, including women's studies, educational history, and literary and cultural modernism.

From the late nineteenth century women began to enter British universities. Their numbers were small and their gains hard won and fiercely contested, yet they inspired a whole new genre of fiction. This collection of largely forgotten and rare texts forms a valuable primary resource for scholars of literature, social history and women's education.

From the late nineteenth century women began to enter British universities. Their numbers were small and their gains hard won and fiercely contested, yet they inspired a whole new genre of fiction. This collection of largely forgotten and rare texts forms a valuable primary resource for scholars of literature, social history and women's education.

From the late nineteenth century women began to enter British universities. Their numbers were small and their gains hard won and fiercely contested, yet they inspired a whole new genre of fiction. This collection of largely forgotten and rare texts forms a valuable primary resource for scholars of literature, social history and women's education.

From the late nineteenth century women began to enter British universities. Their numbers were small and their gains hard won and fiercely contested, yet they inspired a whole new genre of fiction. This collection of largely forgotten and rare texts forms a valuable primary resource for scholars of literature, social history and women's education.