“It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.”

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Meaning

The quote says that language can be limiting when it was shaped mostly by men, making it harder for a woman to express her own feelings precisely. It suggests that some experiences are harder to put into words when the available words do not fully reflect them. It also points to a gap between inner feeling and the language used to describe it.

When It Was Said

1874

Who It Was Said To

Not documented yet.

Historical Context

Cited with the source note “Ch. 51.”

Source

Ch. 51

Original Language & Translation

Originally said in English.

Did They Really Say It?

Listed with a cited source on Wikiquote: “Ch. 51.”

Did You Know?

The quote is cited on Wikiquote with the source note “Ch. 51.”

About Thomas Hardy

English novelist, poet and architect

Thomas Hardy was an English novelist, poet and architect. A Victorian realist, he wrote about the tensions of his time and looked closely at social change, especially in rural Britain. He is known for novels and poetry shaped by both realism and Romanticism, including the influence of William Wordsworth. His work is often sharply critical of Victorian society, and it pays close attention to the changing position of rural people in Britain, especially in his native South West England.

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Books by Thomas Hardy

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

1920

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The Mayor of Casterbridge

1983

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Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire

1872

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Jude the Obscure

2007

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The Woodlanders

1887

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