Quakers and the Arts
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Mary Dyer Musings – A Measure of Light , A Novel by Beth Powning, and Mary’s Joy, a Play by Jeanmarie Simpson
Jeanmarie Simpson Following a 2005 performance of my play, A Single Woman, about the life of first US Congresswoman and lifelong pacifist, Jeannette Rankin, I was approached by a Quaker woman. She was moved by my work and felt compelled to tell me about Mary Dyer, whom she described as a Quaker martyr. She thought I…
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Caroline Emelia Stephen (1834-1909) and Virginia Woolf (1882-1941): A Quaker Influence on Modern English Literature
This article explores the influence of Quaker theologian Caroline Emelia Stephen on her niece, modern English writer Virginia Woolf. It examines their family backgrounds, Caroline’s spiritual and mystical Quaker beliefs, and how these shaped Woolf’s pacifism, feminism, and literary innovation. The piece also highlights Caroline’s rational mysticism and Woolf’s natural mysticism as key components in…