Pseudonyms Definition

Pseudonyms, or fictitious names, have been used by authors for many years, and they have become a commonplace occurrence. In fact, many iconic books such as “Animal Farm” and the Harry Potter series have been written by authors using pen names. Pen names have been used to help writers get their work published, whether they’ve been needed to overcome bias or sell more books to a certain demographic. They allow writers to hide their identities which oftentimes have many advantages. Authors may opt to write under a pen name because it can give them the freedom to write without being limited by expectations or “hype”, allow them to overcome bias, and create new opportunities.
For authors who have established a solid following, their names can create
In “Introducing Jane Eyre: An Unlikely Victorian Heroine” by National Endowment for the humanities, the text states that the Victorian Era limited what women could and couldn’t do. As demonstrated in the letter from Robert Southey to Charlotte Brontë, Southey, the poet laureate of England, states that “Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life, and it ought not to be.” Because of the societal expectations placed on women of the time, Brontë realized that in order to publish her book, she’d have to do it under a male’s pen name. The article reinforces this claim, it states, “Considering Brontë’s position and her desire for literary accomplishment…we are able to see why she felt compelled to write Jane Eyre and to publish it under a male name, Currer Bell.” Because of the name, her work was published and judged much more fairly than if she had used her real name. In addition to overcoming bias, pen names can also create new opportunities for writers. Just as the use of the name “Currer Bell” helped Brontë create a literary career, the use of a pen name has also helped aforementioned author “Stephen King” create new opportunities.As the author of “Who is Richard Bachman?” mentions, publishers would typically not publish more than one book a year. By adopting use of his pseudonym, he was able to write twice as much. The article states that “his success as Stephen King meant that… publishers would likely allow him to publish more than one book per year.” By writing under two names, he was able to propel himself to fame and create new work opportunities for himself. Authors can use pseudonyms to overcome bias and societal expectations, and in turn create new