CLASS DESCRIPTION

Did you know that singular you is a more recent addition to the English language than singular they? We can trace back singular they to the 1300s but singular you only replaced thou and thee in the 17th century. This is only one of many surprising facts that literary history can teach us about gender-inclusive pronouns. Where current debates about language policies might have us believe that pronouns that challenge the gender binary are strictly a 21st-century issue, celebrated authors from Margaret Cavendish to Aphra Behn to Virginia Woolf show us that gender non-conformity pronouns have not just been in use for centuries, but are also beautiful enough to have made it into some of the most celebrated novels and poems in English. In addition to learning about the fabulous history of gender non-conformity pronouns in Anglophone literature, we will also look at contemporary writing, current debates and social expectations surrounding pronouns and gender. The main take-away: Pronouns aren't just practical, they hold immense potential for innovation, creativity and beauty.

ABOUT OUR LECTURER

Dr Lena Mattheis (they/she) is a lecturer in contemporary literature at the University of Surrey. Lena specialises in queer and trans literature, narrative studies and literary geography and has recently completed a monograph titled Queer Forms and Pronouns: Gender Non-conformity in Anglophone Literature, which is forthcoming with Oxford University Press. Since April 2021, Lena has been hosting the Queer Lit podcast and has recorded conversations with Sara Ahmed, Susan Stryker, Sue Lanser, Jack Halberstam, Susan Stryker, Lee Edelman, Meg-John Barker and many other inspiring scholars. In addition to another monograph, Translocality in Contemporary City Novels (Palgrave, 2021), Lena’s work has been published in journals such as Narrative, Transnational Literature, Literary Geographies, or WSQ.

INSTAGRAM: @lena_mattheis
BLUESKY: @lenamattheis.bsky.social
WEBSITE: https://lenamattheis.wordpress.com/

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This is a recording of a live session hosted by The Feminist Lecture Program in November 2025. The reading list for the class can be found alongside this rental.

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