Women Writers of the Renaissance and Reformation

ThedawnofhumanismintheRenaissancepresentedprivilegedwomenwithgreatopportunitiesforpersonalandintellectualgrowth.Sexualandsocialrolesstilldeterminedtheextenttowhichawomancouldpursueeducationandintellectualaccomplishment,butitwaspossiblethroughthecompositionofpoetryorprosetotemporarilyoffsethierarchiesofgender,tobecomeequaltomenintheactofcreation.EditedbyKatharinaM.Wilson,thisanthologyintroducestheworksoftwenty-fivewomenwritersoftheRenaissanceandReformation,amongthemMarieDentiere,aSwissevangelicalreformerwhosewritingsweresosuccessfultheywerebannedduringherlifetime;GasparaStampa,acultivatedcourtesanofVenetianaristocraticcircleswhowrotelyricpoetrythathasearnedhercomparisonstoMichelangeloandTasso;HelisennedeCrenne,aFrencharistocratwhoembodiedthetruespiritoftheRenaissancefeminist,writingbothasnovelistandaschampionofhersex;HeleneKottanner,AustrianchambermaidtoQueenElizabethofHungarywhosememoirsrecallherdaringtheftoftheHolyCrownofSaintStephenforheresteemedmistress;andLadyMarySidneyWroth,thefirstEnglishwomanknowntowriteafull-lengthworkoffictionandcomposeasignificantbodyofsecularpoetry.Offeringaseldomseencounterpointtoliteraturewrittenbymen,"WomenWritersoftheRenaissanceandReformation"presentsproseandpoetrythathaveneverbeforeappearedinEnglish,aswellaswritingsthathaverarelybeenavailabletothenonspecialist.Thewomenwhosewritingsareincludedhereareunitedbyakeenawarenessofthesociallimitationsplacedupontheircreativepotential,ofthestrainedrelationshipbetweentheirgenderandtheirwork.Thisconcerninveststheirwritingswithadistinctivevoice--onethatcarriestheechoesofamaleaestheticwhileboldlydeclaringbattleagainstit.