The Woman Who Did

Description

Grant Allen was a respected Canadian novelist and science writer who was a supporter of the then-new feminist movement. To express his sympathies for this movement, he went on to write “The Woman Who Did” – a story about an unconventional woman who found unorthodox solutions to problems caused by society.

The story follows the middle class woman named Herminia Barton. She is a kind of woman who defies convention, and thus she goes on to ignore society’s well established rules and she is also willing to accept all the consequences that would follow.

Herminia is born in Cambridge to a notable clergyman. However, she feels that she isn’t free to do what she wants, and so she escaped her father’s authority by moving to London. There, having to sustain herself, since she had no inheritance, she has to work as a teacher. It is there that she meets the young and bright Alan Merrick. Alan is a lawyer and quite wealthy as well. It appears that the fortunes of Herminia have changed. However, she tells Alan that she doesn’t want to get married, a proposal to which he barely agrees with.

The couple moves to Florence in Italy to escape the rigid mentality of Londoners. However, Alan dies of typhoid fever just before their daughter is born. Thus, Herminia and her young daughter Dolores (which means money in Spanish) find themselves in trouble again, since they have no inheritance due to the fact that Herminia was not married to Merrick.

Dolores eventually grows up thanks to the efforts of Herminia, who is bound to show the world what a single mother can do. “The Woman Who Did” is a passionate story about a woman’s struggles in the pre-feminist society and the sacrifices she has to make.
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