Blue Stockings

by Jessica Swale

A moving, comical and eye-opening story of four young women fighting for education and self-determination against the larger backdrop of women’s suffrage.

1896. Girton College, Cambridge, the first college in Britain to admit women. The Girton girls study ferociously and match their male peers grade for grade. Yet, when the men graduate, the women leave with nothing but the stigma of being a 'blue stocking' - an unnatural, educated woman. They are denied degrees and go home unqualified and unmarriageable.

In Blue Stockings, Tess Moffat and her fellow first years are determined to win the right to graduate. But little do they anticipate the hurdles in their way: the distractions of love, the cruelty of the class divide or the strength of the opposition, who will do anything to stop them. The play follows them over one tumultuous academic year, in their fight to change the future of education.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Historical Fiction, 21st Century, Fiction, Feminism, Theatre

120 pages, Paperback

First published August 22, 2013

Reviews

[Carolina Almeida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sincerely advise everyone WOMEN and MEN, GIRLS and BOYS, to read this play! IT’S A MUST! and i’m happy that the other sections (B,D,..) have to read this play for première! (sad that A students are left out on this)!
the play just shows how women had to work so hard for their rights! we should never forget about it and continue to fight for it and PROTECT OUR RIGHTS at all costs!

‘ All great scientists, Copernicus, Galileo, they made their discoveries because they had imagination. They saw more than what was in front of them; they thought like artists! They dreamed. And painters, great painters, treat their art like a science. Van Gogh did countless experiments with tone to work out the effects of darkness and light. They’re renaissance men. Proper thinkers. That’s what progress need. ‘

[✰ Liz ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blue Stockings is the riveting tale of women who want more than just love. They crave knowledge. They want to shuck off their knitting, cooking, and giving birth for a life of books. Set in Cambridge in the year 1896, four girls begin a journey to better themselves and change the world.

At that time, women were allowed to attend college with the men and yet they do not leave with a degree like their male peers. Although these women may be educated, they are now deemed "unqualified and unmarriageable."

These women face bullying of the worst kind from both the males and from the old fashioned women milling about on the campus.

Principal Elizabeth Welsh is determined to help these women gain the right to graduate.

‘The only thing a woman can own is knowledge...
We must build our Trojan horse and infiltrate from the inside.'
Mrs Welsh

Overall, Blue Stockings was a heartfelt tender read that will empower you to want more. There was a dash of a love story when one of the students falls in love with a co-student from the college.

I would not hesitate to recommend this play to any director looking for an inspirational play. Due to the history married to the text, you would find hours upon hours of dramaturgical work to complete. I look forward to seeing this production on the big stage.

[AlexM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Theaterstück über die Entwicklung und Anfänge von weiblicher universitärer Bildung Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Es zeigt die Hürden auf, die Frauen überwinden mussten und die zentrale Entscheidung zwischen Bildung und gesellschaftlicher Akzeptanz: „You know the men won‘t marry you if you choose knowledge.“ (S. 26) Es behandelt außerdem die falschen pseudo-wissenschaftlichen Annahmen, die in die Welt gesetzt wurden, um Frauen und Bildung als inkompatibel darzustellen. Gleichzeitig wird durch die Figuren das breite Spektrum an Meinungen gezeigt. Es gibt nicht nur Männer, die dagegen und Frauen, die dafür sind, sondern auch Frauen, die sich gegen das Privileg von Bildung für das weibliche Geschlecht aussprechen und Männer, die dieses Privileg teilen möchten. Das Stück ist erfüllt von dem Schmerz und der Ungerechtigkeit, die die Protagonistinnen erfahren und verhandelt gleichzeitig die extreme emotionale Disziplin, welche nötig ist, um ein unbedrohliches Bild von weiblicher Bildung nach Außen zu tragen. Es ist eines der wichtigsten und emotionalsten Bücher, die ich jemals gelesen habe, da es eine historische Realität widerspiegelt, deren Umstände einen sprachlos und in einem Mix aus Stolz und Trauer zurücklassen.

[Patrick Neylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play dramatises the failed campaign to award degrees to women at Cambridge University in 1897. It's a splendid piece of drama, and can be forgiven for sacrificing realism for dramatic impact.

Most of the characters, with the exception of Henry Maudsley, are fictitious, but the thrust of the story is true enough. Women had been allowed to study and receive certificates from Cambridge since the 1860s, but were not allowed to graduate. Swale's modern play recounts the failed campaign of 1896-7 to change all that.

In a series of short scenes, Swale charts the progress of four female students and the varying responses of their male counterparts. The responses range from guarded sympathy through derision to outright, violent hostility (and the latter, regrettably, is true enough). There are 25 scenes in the play, which helps create pace while making a few difficulties for staging. The script also calls for four young women and at least four young men, which will cause problems for all but the biggest amateur societies trying to stage the play.

Swale opts for vigorous dialogue at the expense of period realism. This would be forgiveable if it were solely for dramatic effect, but I feel she didn't really think it through. One could forgive the young ladies talking of Van Gogh and Einstein, even if it's implausible that students would have heard of either in 1896, but the word 'hassle' wasn't even invented then, and no Cambridge lecturer would have said 'millennia' when she meant 'millennium'. Many of the numerous anachronisms seem more careless than deliberate.

Still, it's a vibrant, vigorous play that brings a historical story to life.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

We saw this play, set at Girton college, Cambridge, in 1894, at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA, just three days after Hillary Clinton was NOT elected first female president of the USA. I so wished for an after performance discussion to hear the thoughts of the actors and the director on the choice of this play for this particular time. The play is funny and sad; funny ha-ha in the dialogue Swale uses to develop her characters as well as funny sad in the acceptance many of the characters of the status quo. Education is wasted on a woman; don't we all agree? An educated woman will never marry, right?

We've come a long way, baby. Keep on truckin.'

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up.

Swale tackles an issue that few (myself included) know about - the struggle for women to obtain graduation certificates from higher education institutions, which rendered their schooling more or less useless (as far as any practical application went). It's an interesting subject, and Swale does an admirable job of delineating the various sides, but her characters lack depth and there are too many rather lackluster, aimless scenes - could have used some judicious editing. Oddly enough, for a play that isn't exactly Shakespeare, there was published alongside this a 'study guide', which would seem to be a bit of overkill.

[Jerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clumsy and rushed ending aside, this was really entertaining!


(Read for Uni)

[Jem · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through and performed this play for my Year 12 Production, it was an amazing script and the most unforgettable performance of my life. I loved portraying the role of Mrs Welsh, fighting for the women's right to graduate and learning more about life in the 1890s, how women were viewed by society and the 1890s etiquette. Highly recommend this play to any drama teachers/students, it's a medium sized cast but can be directed easily to produce a wonderful show!

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

there's something about a good ass play that makes you forget where you are and reminds you where you are all at the same time. it's timeless in the sense that we are still fighting and will probably continue to do so until the end of time, but jessica swale's honest and unflinching account of the past combined with her cheeky winks at our present reminds her audience that they are better equipped than ever before.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS PHENOMENAL

[Jonathan Daley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written and balanced play detailing the struggle for women to receive the right to graduate from Girton College, Cambridge. Slightly let down with the big narrative jumps in the second act and several of the more interesting subplots left incomplete, it’s still a joyfully intellectual piece of dramatic writing.

[Roborant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blue stockings is an excellent play, highlighting the struggle for women's rights and the unbelievable waste of talent that must have been holding back scientific progress for centuries.

Unfortunately I've marked it down slightly because I noticed a few scientific inaccuracies and anachronisms. The word photon is used, but this term was only coined decades after the play is set. The Andromeda nebula wasn't widely considered to be a galaxy outside of our own at the time, and they certainly wouldn't have known it is over two million light years away. It also seems odd for an astronomer to assume that a "smudge" on the lens was actually the Andromeda galaxy when this is in a different part of the sky to the Pleiades where her boyfriend was meant to have been pointing his telescope. Nitpicking, I know. But considering the emphasis the play places on scientific knowledge, it would have been nice if it had been more thoroughly checked for errors.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled to get into this play. The beginning was a bit slow, and because of the plot you have to care about what the protagonists are fighting for. And it took me a while to connect with those characters and to actually care.

But once they sent Maeve away, right after finally giving her a monologue and her true feelings were shown? I was so angry I realized that must mean I now care about the girls staying in school! Suddenly in the third act being hit with finally some exciting pinch points and plot points, and many twists and turns, but similarly to other contemporary history plays I’ve read recently - the ending felt rushed and unfulfilled. This one, almost felt unfinished. Disappointing

But Will and the beautifully written characters give this play a 3 and a half stars

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m new to reading/studying plays but I really enjoyed this one. It had an engaging plot with a few twists that I really didn’t expect and was genuinely shocked when I reached them.
It felt refreshing to have a feminist playwright to differ from others traditional ones like Shakespeare (whom I’m mainly studying).
I finished this so fast, which is unusual for me nowadays and I would definitely recommend!

[Natasha Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play was so inspiring to read as a woman, and it also makes you reflect and continue to truly appreciate the battle women have suffered in the past to gain equal education to that of men. It’s heartbreaking to read, but also has you hungry for the change the women in the play so greatly deserve.

[Jessica IJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

like the premise but not a huge fan of how it was carried out. it seemed to me like things were happening around the students but they weren't directly involved with it *happening*, only what happened after the fact.

[Alex Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly love this play, the fight for women’s right to graduate and the humanisation of the girls who are risk everything to learn. The characters are diverse in terms of economic status and personality and all in all, it’s a great and real story with an excellent hard hitting final few lines.

[Claire Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it....fantastic characters linked to a fantastic historical period brilliant

[hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

was lucky to be on the crew for a production of this, absolutely in love with it

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and interesting and angry-making all at once.

[Joshua Bosman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant play about a group of women's fight to get the right to graduate at Cambridge, 50 years before Cambridge allowed it.

[Rachael Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devoured this in one sitting. An empowering read!

[Madeleine Rose Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just been cast as Carolyn in this !!!

[Carson Etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’m doing this play for school very good good message

[Enyu Hu · Rating 2 out of 5]

i can't tell if this is just an unsubtle, depthless play or men really are this binary. either way pretty boring despite some really nice moments

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a suffragette story

[kittygene 🐞 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
˚୨ 4 ୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ — review
obviously i had to read this play as i am playing the character of “maeve sullivan”. and please i recommend to literally anyone to read this play. i thoroughly enjoyed it and it spreads the message that women had to work so so hard to earn their rights. and that we should continue everyday to fight for our rights.

“but this is who i am! you gave me this chance, you’ve shown me the world! i never knew what i wanted before, before i came here, and now i’ve found it, i’ve seen what the world is, i’m learning, ive learn who i am.”

[aseriesofpages · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super interesting and I learnt a lot and the plot, characters were great. It was really hooking and quite shocking to learn about exactly how life was like for Girton girls. Celia was definitely one of my favourite characters. 100% recommend.

[Abbie Cochran · Rating 4 out of 5]

play i’m doing for school, good message, really enjoyed

[Anna Snader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got my Little Women monologue from this play. “I can’t be the woman who waits” (116).