author
Phoebe Sheavyn
A pioneering British scholar and feminist, she wrote with sharp intelligence about literature, higher education, and the changing place of women in university life. Her work brings together academic rigor and a clear sense of social progress.
1 Audiobook
Higher Education for Women in Great Britain
by Phoebe Sheavyn
About the author
Born in 1865, Phoebe Sheavyn was a British literary scholar, teacher, and feminist who built a notable academic career at a time when women were still fighting for a place in higher education. She studied at Aberystwyth and is remembered as the first woman student there to earn an honours degree.
She later taught at Victoria University of Manchester, where she became a professor and also worked closely with women students. Alongside her academic work, she was involved in the early British Federation of University Women, reflecting her long-standing commitment to expanding opportunities for women in education.
Sheavyn wrote both literary scholarship and work with a wider social focus. Her best-known books include The Literary Profession in the Elizabethan Age and Higher Education for Women in Great Britain, which show her twin interests in English literature and the history of women's advancement.