The Egoist

Overview

“At a meeting of shareholders of THE NEW FREEWOMAN LTD.  Called to discuss the advisability of the changing the title of “The New Freewoman” to “The Egoist” held at Oakley House, Bloomsbury Street, London, W.C. on December 23^rd, a unanimous vote was given in favor of the change. From this issue on, “The New Freewoman” will be referred to as “The Egoist”” (Volume 1.1, page 5).

In the first issue of The Egoist it was claimed that “the concepts with which one age will preoccupy itself, and in which it will invest its surplus emotional heat have shown themselves to be so essentially casual as to be now a matter for mirth rather than wonder with its successors” (1.1.1). As a direct literary descendant of another journal, The Egoist sought to refine and honor the lens of its predecessors, exposing its readership to a variety of modernist literature and critical discussion.

The Egoist was meant to be a direct continuation of The New Freewoman. It functioned as a major contributor to modernist literature while still maintaining the themes, policies and characteristics of its predecessor. While Dora Marsden’s journal focused on the rise of feminism and female liberation, her literary friends helped shift the emphasis of this new journal to literature rather than just a commentary on gender. The journal discussed major social and philosophical questions and issues, engaging its readers in major discussions and exposing them to a range of modernist fiction.

The Egoist published a range of literature, from poetry and criticism to serial novels. James Joyce first published his “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” as a serial novel through The Egoist, and many other poets such as Ezra Pound and T.S. Elliot used the journal as an avenue to expose readers and critics to their poetry. T.S. Elliot would later join with Dora Marsden as literary and contributing editors to shift the lens of the journal to a more deconstructive view of language and literature.

The journal quickly rose in popularity, eventually becoming one of the most iconic modernist periodicals. Many major authors that we associate with the Modernist Era were published in The Egoist. Much of the literary content was wildly radical and revolutionary, drawing a variety of criticism as to the editorial philosophies and purposes of the journal. The controversy of the literature published only encouraged the popularity of the periodical and The Egoist continued to publish until 1919.