Women's writing, pre-1700.

July 26, 2007 6:49 AM

Other Women's Voices:"Below are links that will take you to passages from over 125 women writers. The entries are on women who produced a substantial amount of work before 1700, some or all of which has been translated into modern English. Each entry will tell you about the print sources from which the translated passages are taken; it will also tell you of useful secondary sources and Internet sites, when those are available." An amazing resource. (Via wood s lot.)
posted by languagehat (20 comments total)

Mumyozoshi (or Mumyo zoshi, "the nameless book") was written between 1196 and 1202; it is the oldest extant work of criticism of Japanese prose.

Wow, this is great, languagehat, thanks. Tons of interesting bios and links. I'm always surprised by the strength of the women's writing tradition in Asian history.

Ah, the richness that never entered the Western canon...
posted by mediareport at 7:11 AM on July 26, 2007

Definitely an amazing resource. Thanks :) "links to the work of well over a hundred women writers, dating from c. 2200 BCE to the end of the 17th century" wow.

Exciting to see women's writing grouped in one place. Mary Wollstonecraft in the mid-1700's, one of my culture heroes.

Oxford University's English course considers "modern literature" to be written in the Victorian era.

Really enjoying your via link, the wood s lot site too. On that site, discovered a wonderful, playful, eternal knot of a poem, Warning to Children, by one of my writer heroes, Robert Graves.

Also learned a great phrase I wish I'd known most of my life, esprit, d'escalier, "The Wit of the Staircase from the French phrase 'esprit d'escalier,' literally, it means 'the wit of the staircase', and usually refers to the perfect witty response you think up after the conversation or argument is ended.", from the site of Theresa Duncan, (a prominent video-game designer in the late 1990s, making sophisticated story-based CD-ROM games for young girls) who apparently committed suicide a couple of weeks ago.

She said, “A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo sapiens — second in necessity apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter.”
posted by nickyskye at 7:19 AM on July 26, 2007

There is so much out there that no one knows about. Here is a page I have bookmarked and read often....Sunshine for Women loaded with information for and about women, past and present. It's out there folks, we just have to make it cool to find it, study it, and learn from it.
posted by brneyedgrl at 7:27 AM on July 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

Great find!
posted by amyms at 7:34 AM on July 26, 2007

Gracias, languagehat. What a rich and convenient resource.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:49 AM on July 26, 2007

Great find - I loved Sappho's "Glittering minded deathless Aphrodite." What a powerful, and well-translated opening line. Also, thanks nickyskye for showing me "Warning to Children."
posted by taliaferro at 8:27 AM on July 26, 2007

Oh, lovely! Wonderful post - thank you!
posted by rtha at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2007

No need for me to say how cheering this is.

This text from Enhedduana-- " My lord, that which has been created (here) no one has created (before)" is a touchstone for me. I'd love to have the original cuneiform for this, actually. *keeps digging*
posted by jokeefe at 9:56 AM on July 26, 2007

Needless to say, this is far from a complete list. For example, the Vietnamese poet Ho Xuan Huong (1772-1822) isn't included. More here (Wiki).
posted by jokeefe at 10:10 AM on July 26, 2007

Oh, and another rich source of information on Ho Xuan Huong is here, as well-- John Balaban's recent translations.
posted by jokeefe at 10:16 AM on July 26, 2007 [1 favorite]

And of course that most prolific of woman writers/artists, Anonymous.
posted by jokeefe at 10:21 AM on July 26, 2007

Okay, one more. I own this book, Maureen Bell's A Biographical Dictionary of English Women Writers, 1580-1720. An idea of its scope can be given by the fact that it's nearly 300 pages long. Wonderful to browse through, but the focus is mainly of biography and doesn't include extensive excerpts of actual work.

I really need to start blogging again.
posted by jokeefe at 10:25 AM on July 26, 2007

^^^

of = on
posted by jokeefe at 10:26 AM on July 26, 2007

Great post--thank you.

I remember sitting in an English Lit class about 15 years ago where a student timidly asked the professor why there were no women writers on the course reading list. He looked at her briefly and replied: "Because there weren't any good women writers during this period."

This list is a good antidote to people like him.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:25 AM on July 26, 2007

Well, I did know that the first novel was written by Murasaki Shikibu, but I did not realize that she was (then) merely the latest in a line of ladies of the Japanese Imperial Court who wrote while not attending to their noble patrons.

Sonno Joi!

Short version of Tale of Genji: "Once upon there was a handsome prince who just could not keep his kimono closed. His noble private parts led him into many adventures. The end."
posted by ilsa at 1:06 PM on July 26, 2007

Needless to say, this is far from a complete list. For example, the Vietnamese poet Ho Xuan Huong (1772-1822) isn't included.

That would be because this is for women who wrote before 1700. You modern gals can get your own list.

I really need to start blogging again.

Heartily seconded!
posted by languagehat at 3:08 PM on July 26, 2007

Needless to say, this is far from a complete list. For example, the Vietnamese poet Ho Xuan Huong (1772-1822) isn't included.

That would be because this is for women who wrote before 1700. You modern gals can get your own list.

Oh yeah.... ah well, it's always a good day to link poetry on Mefi, even if it's that newfangled stuff.

I really need to start blogging again.

Heartily seconded!

Shucks. *grins from ear to ear*
posted by jokeefe at 3:28 PM on July 26, 2007

I have nothing substantial to contribute but I wanted to say that these links are great. Thank you.
posted by liquorice at 5:03 PM on July 26, 2007

Penn libraries also has a good collection of women writers - A Celebration of Women Writers.
posted by tellurian at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2007

My only regret is that these all get lumped together as "women writers" when often they have almost nothing in common besides being overlooked because of their gender. Many, if not all, deserve their own individual mefi post.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz for example, whom I only discovered because Octavio Paz was a fan. A Mexican nun, a genius who many consider one of the most important writers of the 17th century and repeatedly described as the most learned person on the American continent at that time...I quote from here:

In addition to original works of philosophy, she wrote plays, poetry, essays, religious treatises, country dances, villancicos [Christmas carols], and learned disputations. Her writings mixed Spanish, Latin, and native Nahuatl, or Latin and Negro dialect. Ranked among the greatest of the Metaphysical poets, Sor Juana wrote some of the finest sonnets in the Spanish language
posted by vacapinta at 9:35 PM on July 26, 2007