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The Literary Salon

The British literary salon evolved from an idea and practice in France. It started as a gathering of men and women who wanted to focus on creating and maintaining an intellectual exchange regarding the important topics of the day. By providing a playing field where the opinions of men and women were considered equal, the literary salon revolutionized the vision of gender roles. It allowed women the opportunity to express themselves in a way that was equal to men - and this was crucial to the fights for equality that would follow, years later.

A typical literary salon would be held at a private location, usually within someone's home. Some important hostesses for British Bluestocking events were Elizabeth Montagu, Elizabeth Vesey and Frances Boscawen. These women would create a guest list, organize the event, provide refreshments and conversation starters, and assist in developing relationships and contacts among the literate and intellectual. Supporting this exchange was extremely important, and these events provided ways for individuals of like mind to forge relationships.

It is also important to examine the reasons that certain individuals were invited to participate in literary salons - namely, a strong education. Since women were not able to easily pursue a professional and equal education, it was notable that many of the participants in the literary salons were extremely well-educated. Traditionally, these "feminist" intellectuals were not strongly supported by mainstream society. In the literary salons, they were able to find like-minded individuals - and these relationships caused them to forge ahead with ideals of gender equality. Without this support network, it is possible than these women would never have pursued their ideals and goals.

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