In the summer of 2016, an article in The Atlantic magazine announced that women writers had captured the mystery or crime novel genre. But their range extended beyond that early victory to include the historical novel as well. All too often, the role of women in history has been forgotten, overlooked, or marginalized. But over the last decade or so, women authors have rescued their contributions to major historical events, adding their unique perspective to the official historical canon. This presentation will explore historical novels written by women and their revisions and additions to several major historical and cultural events, both here in the U. S. and across the wider world.   

Rebecca Worley is a retired University of Delaware English professor, currently teaching courses in the development of mystery and historical novels, focusing particularly on the changes women authors have made to the genres. She has also taught courses that examine the role of literature as it reflects and revises cultural history and national identity, especially the literature of Australia and Scotland. Again, women authors have adopted an insightful perspective on their cultures and histories through their literature, one largely ignored in traditional accounts. Becky has regularly taught classes in the University of Delaware’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) program in Wilmington since 2016. 

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Delaware is a volunteer based learning cooperative for adults 50+.  The Speakers Bureau is a group of our instructors who are part of the community outreach effort on education. For more information and to learn how to participate in OLLI, visit olli.udel.edu.