Join Anne Knight and read about her research regarding women’s education at Cambridge and her novella, Spinning Our Dreams
My novella Spinning Our Dreams revolves around Cambridge University—specifically, Girton College, the first women’s college at Cambridge. It was founded by women with financial backing from progressive men in 1869, and the University grudgingly allowed Girton into the fold over the next few decades. Girton was built out of town to segregate male and female students. Classes were given by male lecturers and professors who visited Girton daily. Girton wasn’t allowed to have their own Fellows, or academic researchers of world renown, until 1926, and didn’t even have a resident tutor until 1890. Because women couldn’t graduate until after WWII, they developed their own exams and “completion certificate” ceremonies. Girton drew from upper middle class and upper class families, charging 35 pounds per term. Working class girls, like my heroine Faith, would’ve struggled to make ends meet even with scholarships.
The other women’s college in Cambridge, Newnham College, was started as a series of “Lectures for Women,” which I also mention in my novella. In the 1860s women flocked to Cambridge for these sponsored series of lectures, even renting a house together, and eventually Newnham was born.My hero, Spencer, is a medievalist fellow from King’s College. He’s progressive and determined to give women a chance at education, and in the early years Girton had to rely on male scholars like Spencer for education. Spencer, as a fellow, held an extremely prestigious role in the University. Today fellows are still world-class experts in their fields. Back in the 19th century, they had many strict rules to follow, such as becoming an Anglican minister (until 1871), living onsite at least 26 weeks of the year, and they weren’t allowed to marry until 1882. This rule poses a problem for Faith and Spencer as they navigate a world where marriage is forbidden and women’s education is still scandalous! Read Spinning Our Dreams to learn more about the struggle for women’s higher education and the rights of working class women in Cambridge!
About the Book
A Cambridge tutor helps the kitchen maid he’s pining for apply to scholarships for the first women’s college at Cambridge. But many academics will do anything to prevent working-class women near the university. Can they outwit authorities and fight for their forbidden love?
Buy link: https://books2read.com/u/
About the Author
Anne Knight has been writing stories since she was three years old. Before she could read or write, she followed her parents and babysitter around, begging them to dictate her words. Eventually she learned the alphabet and began writing herself. She sneaked her first romance novel when she was thirteen, but did not become an avid reader or writer of the genre until after college.
Sign up for newsletter: www.anneknightbooks.com