The first phase in Elaine Showalter's model of women's literary history is the Feminine Phase, which lasted from 1840–1880. During this phase, female writers attempted to imitate male writers and conform to male values.
Feminine Phase:
Female writers tried to compete with male writers by writing in a similar style.
Female writers often used male pseudonyms.
Female writers internalized male assumptions about female nature.
Female writers wrote to equal the intellectual achievements of male culture.
The Feminine Phase is associated with writers such as Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, and the Bronte Sisters.
