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How important are the print/ manuscript contexts to women’s writing?

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How important are the print/ manuscript contexts to women’s writing?

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Manuscript was more acceptable for women because it was more personal compared to print which was an example of self-exposure. Spreading private correspondence in print was considered improper.

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Why was writing/publication difficult for women?

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Why was writing/publication difficult for women?

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There were a variety of educational/literacy barriers for women in this time period. Women were often excluded from classical education and had no access to Latin/Greek texts, which (obviously) would make writing in these popular literary genres difficult, if not impossible. Additionally, putting writing into print was seen as being "sexually compromised", which added another layer to the stigma of print for women that male writers did not have to deal with.

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What factors may have enabled women to write/publish?

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What factors may have enabled women to write/publish?

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It was clear there were some translations of the epic poets from Latin and Greek beginning to circulate, meaning that those literate women from the middle to upper classes could now access these texts, and this would make a large impact on their inspiration for writing and the furthering of their education. Also, print was probably easier for women to access, because it was seen as lower than manuscripts, this could have been an easier way for women to circulate their publishing to a wider audience. Furthermore, although love poetry would've been seen as somewhat deviating from the modest expectations of women, religious reading and writing was accepted as women could read scripture without judgement. These genres of poetry that were 'safer' could be written on and women could use these as an angle to write and publish.

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the idea of print publication was viewed almost like prostitution - associations with buying from women meant that any woman who published their work was viewed as ‘promiscuous’ or improper. it was difficult enough for women to publish manuscripts, even, with such low literacy levels (even for the rich), so the idea of public print publishing whilst maintaining status and chastity was near impossible.

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Why was writing/ publication difficult for women?

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Why was writing/ publication difficult for women?

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Women often had a different education or more limited access to education than men did. For example, in the lecture, it was mentioned that women were often unable to access classical education. Using classical education often gave a poet a sense of cultural authority. Therefore, being less able to access this would make it trickier for women writers to engage with previous poems/ poetic styles or to write poetry that felt ‘sophisticated’ according to literary tradition or poetic expectations. I think it is really interesting that Whitney is able to use classical references to Greek mythology in some of her poetry.

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What factors might have enabled women to write/publish? 

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What factors might have enabled women to write/publish? 

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Female writers were rather limited in terms of publication as to publish in print was sexually compromising. Manuscript circulation however, protected a woman's reputation, confining their works to smaller readerships and thus enabled women to write for a targeted audience.

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What factors might have enabled women to write/publish? 

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What factors might have enabled women to write/publish? 

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Women were granted education with a religious context, an easier genre for a woman to engage with as it was considered more respectable. However, a woman interpreting scripture was far more controversial as she would be altering or defacing the word of God. So published work with a religious purpose or subject might be more accepted from a woman.

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women's writing?

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women's writing?

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Works were not published with the intention of gaining authorship/acclaim/income, most works appear conversational. Mostly writing to each other in a social context, posing thoughts and sentiments to each other

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In what was a very male dominated literary world, writing gave women a sense of empowerment. Being able to write and potentially publish their work, showed men that women weren't just limited to the stereotypes confined to women.

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Literacy levels across both genders were low, esp with lower classes, but specifically in women -- there would be a question of why a woman would need to be able to read and write. I find it interesting the correlation drawn between women expressing/ disseminating their works to a wider audience and that as sexual exposure. Where men are free to discuss courtly love and its games, women seem to be criticised for secular subject matters.

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women's writing?

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women's writing?

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Manuscript was seen as more acceptable for women as it was more private. Whilst print was recognised as being less socially acceptable for women as it was seen as sexually promiscuous and therefore unfeminine.

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What factors might have enabled women to write/publish? 

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What factors might have enabled women to write/publish? 

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~ Lived domestic lives rather than in the public, time within the home to write and develop ideas / self education
~ Poetry as a conversation/transaction - a way into the subject, opportunity to readdress male-made/dominated genres
~ Manuscript print culture provided more opportunity than print for women - avoided associations of sexual service

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women's writing?

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women's writing?

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In the lecture, Gilian discussed how print was a way of publishing texts to be read by the masses and was often used by men, for women authors print was often perceived as sexually compromising. Manuscript was often preferred to prevent women authors from being considered improper and often protected and contextualised their work to a smaller readership.

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Whitney's ability to try on different poetic personas allows her to take on roles who are more accepted-maidservant seen as immodest, upper class seen as more elite esp. in context of a manuscript

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Why was writing/publication difficult for women?

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Why was writing/publication difficult for women?

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The male, narrative voice was intrinsically linked to the sonnet form, meaning that publishing an authentic, female narrative would have been deemed sexually promiscuous by readership.

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Manuscripts meant women had a smaller readership and their writing was shared amongst known friends, print had a wider readership and lacked context. Print also threatened a woman’s reputation more than manuscripts, as it was considered unchaste.

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women’s writing? 

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How important are the print/manuscript contexts to women’s writing? 

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The manuscript context specifically demonstrates the necessity of vocalizing the concerns and lives of women, even if only to be discussed in a small group.

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Writing was a way in which women could express themselves at all, printed or just in more private manuscripts.

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In Ellinghausen's criticism she described how print and the paying of a woman for her literary 'services' was seen to be defying codes of modesty for women. By writing and reproducing poetry a woman was sharing something of herself, especially in Isabella Whitney's case writing as a single woman - perhaps this confirmed existing assumptions about her as a female writer.