Episode 15: Women Writers from the Medieval to Post-Modern Periods

October 5, 2023 in Manuscript Studies, Uncategorized

The Research Group Speaks
Episode 15

Saturday 20 January 2024 online
1:00–2:30 pm EST (GMT-5) by Zoom

“Women Writers
from the Medieval to Post-Modern Periods:
Fiction and/or Reality,
from Literary Narratives to Practical Cookery”

Jackie Reed
Linda Civitello
Hannah Goeselt

[Posted on 5 October 2023, with updates. Registration is now open. See below.]

We invite you to attend Episode 15 in our series:

London, British Library, Harley MS 4431, fol. 4r.Christine de Pisan sits at work writing in an interior accompanied by a dog. France (Paris), c. 1410 – c. 1414. Image via https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2013/06/christine-de-pizan-and-the-book-of-the-queen.html.

London, British Library, Harley MS 4431, fol. 4r. Christine de Pizan sits and writes, accompanied by a dog.

This time, some scholars, teachers, and writers will speak about their interests, long-term work, and current projects concerned with the writings of women authors across a long span of time. Our focus is primarily “women’s work” of many kinds, which might, of course, include contributions to their genres by men and other authors’ whose identities have become unknown. Our attention is drawn to creativity, resourcefulness, senses of purpose, convictions, and instructions for potentially reproducible results in the fields of Food for Thought and Food itself.

Reflecting womens’ roles, opportunities, constraints, and resourcefulness, the writings cover a wide range of spheres, subjects, approaches, and styles. The works range from literary creations to recipes for cookery. Sometimes they have illustrations of their authors, readers, and authorial or literary occupations.

The “genre” of writings by women authors, often underrated or outright ignored, has multiple manifestations, of course, across many periods of time, cultures, languages, subjects, and points of view.  To name a few cases, both Western and Eastern:

Christine de Pizan, La cité des dames, in the copy in Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Manuscrits, Français 1179, folio 3 recto. Image Public Domain via gallica.bnf.fr.

Note on the Image
Headpiece illustration for Christine de Pizan, La cité des dames, in the copy in Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Département des Manuscrits, Français 1179, folio 3 recto.  Image via gallica.bnf.fr.
Read the rest of this entry →