Elizabeth Julia Hasell and Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine

Abstract

While the work of a number of women who contributed to Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine has received critical attention, that of Elizabeth Julia Hasell has not. Yet Hasell was a frequent contributor from 1859 until 1888. The explanation for this neglect lies in the publisher’s policy of maintaining anonymity of contributors, a policy that worked both for and against Hasell and other women contributors: anonymity allowed her to write on topics normally thought to be the purview of men, but it also seemed to impact her relationship with publisher John Blackwood and his nephew William. Hasell’s unpublished letters to the Blackwoods reveal some of the frustrations she experienced in getting her work accepted (and even getting timely responses to her submissions) and illustrate some of the restrictions placed on her submissions. The letters also reveal the strategies Hasell employed to prompt responses from the Blackwoods and gain their approval to write on a wide range of topics, allowing her to make use of her erudition and talent to influence public opinion through her writing.