Biography and the writing subject : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English at Massey University

Some German content throughout.This thesis examines four biographers' methods of representing the lives of two women: Olive Schreiner (1855- 1920), who spent her life in South Africa and England, and Franziska zu Reventlow (1871-1918), who lived in Germany and Switzerland. The subjects of these biographies never met and it is unlikely that they ever read each other's work. Olive Schreiner's father was German, but her knowledge of the German language was limited. Although Franziska zu Reventlow translated many novels from French and Norwegian into German she never learnt English. Yet, living in Western cultures during the same period, their lives display a remarkable number of similarities. Both women were writers of fiction who made considerable sacrifices in order to pursue their chosen profession. In comparison to most of their female contemporaries they insisted on living unconventional lives which manifested their subversive views, particularly with regard to women's sexuality and women's rights. Unable to accept traditional definitions of women, they were forced to live unsettled lives, frequently changing their places of residence. Because neither was able or willing to accept permanent positions, each had to rely periodically on friends and relations for financial support, despite repeated attempts to attain independence. Both women suffered from physical disorders which many of their biographers consider to have been psychosomatic (neither illness had been definitively diagnosed in modern medical terms). In an assertion of their independence, Olive Schreiner and Franziska zu Reventlow chose to retain their unmarried names after their marriage (or in the latter's case, marriages). [From Preface