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-	== Women writing,<br>and participating in the literary field ==	+	== Women's writing<br>and participation in the literary field ==
-	<br><br>This part of the website presents women authors and their writing activities. On the basis of documentation entered by NEWW-participants into the database ''WomenWriters'', we show these women - using quantitative and qualitative approaches - as members of groups and sub-groups, and in some cases as individual outstanding figures. The objective is to present the writers in their context - allowing discussion of the place and role of female celebrities, and also of hitherto completely unknown or unnoticed women. <br><br>	+	<br><br>
		+	This part of the website presents women authors: '''quantities of names''' entered into the database: now (May 2012) [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors over 4000] (while two years ago they were about 2800). They can be listed and quantified in different ways: according to their nationality, language used, year of birth, genres practiced etc. These are just starting points of course. Final objective is to present and study those writers in their international context - allowing discussion of the place and role of women authors in the literary field: female celebrities as well as hitherto completely unknown or unnoticed women. <br><br>
-	As clearly the database ''WomenWriters'' is not "complete", any interpretation or conclusion based upon it must be considered as provisional, and in need of check and further reflection. This is what this website is meant for.<br><br>	+	As clearly the database ''WomenWriters'' is not "complete", any interpretation or conclusion based upon it must be considered as '''provisional''', and in need of check and further reflection. The latter is what this website is meant for.<br><br>
-	In this project the word "author" is used in its broadest sense: a woman who wrote and published either fiction or non-fiction, books or contributions to the periodical press, her own texts or translations of writings by others, comments on others’ writings, etc. Therefore, "intermediaries" are being classified here as "authors". <br><br>	+	In this project the word "author" is used in its '''broadest sense''': a woman who wrote and published either fiction or non-fiction, books or contributions to the periodical press, her own texts or translations of writings by others, comments on others’ writings, etc. Therefore, "intermediaries" are being classified here as "authors". <br><br>
-	This large definition is not wholly unproblematic. For example: what about oral literature? What about women, like [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=receptions&work_authorName=sevigne&work_Title=&rec_authorName=&Rec_Title=&rec_Year=&reference=&pageSize=50 Madame de Sévigné], who did not write for publication, but still exerted considerable influence, when the letters written to her daughter were published some 40 years after her death? These questions have been addressed during the first of the annual “NEWW November meetings”: [[22 November 2007]], and will be further discussed.<br><BR><br>	+	This large definition is not wholly unproblematic. For example: what about '''oral literature?''' What about women, like [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/receptions?fromreceptionsearch=1&sort=year&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=S%C3%A9vign%C3%A9&worktitle=&receptionauthor=&receptiontitle=&receptionyear=&references=&notes=&per_page=200 Madame de Sévigné], who did not write for publication, but still exerted considerable influence, when the letters written to her daughter were published some 40 years after her death? These questions have been addressed during the first of the annual “NEWW November meetings”: [[22 November 2007]], and will be further discussed.<br><BR>
-	'''QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES'''<br>	+	Authors can be (''i.e.'' are often) classified - for the sake of their easily being found - according to their belonging to one '''country, culture or language'''. Here also problems arise, because of possible confusion or contradiction between nationality and language. This is equally under discussion.<br><br>
-	<br>Authors can be classified - for the sake of their easily being found - according to the women's national identities. Here also problems arise, because of possible confusion or contradiction between nationality and language. This is equally under discussion.<br><br>	+	Thanks to information entered into the database ''WomenWriters'', these authors can also be '''classified''' according to other criteria than<br>
		+	* the [[country they lived in]]. <br>
		+	These can be: <br>
		+	* the year they lived in - [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=F&year=1789&country_ids=3&bibliography=&personal_situation=&financial_situation=&notes=&per_page=200&x=19&y=21 here] for instance the list of French authors active (living) in 1789,<br>
		+	* their work as [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=F&year=&bibliography=&personal_situation=&financial_situation=translat&notes=&per_page=200&x=20&y=26 translators], <br>
		+	* their [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=F&year=&bibliography=&personal_situation=&financial_situation=travel&notes=&per_page=200&x=13&y=21 travelling] activities, <br>
		+	* their activity as (in fact) [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=F&year=&bibliography=&personal_situation=&financial_situation=scholar&notes=&per_page=200&x=19&y=19 scholars], <br>
		+	* their writing for [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=F&year=&bibliography=&personal_situation=&financial_situation=child&notes=&per_page=200&x=25&y=23 children], <br>
		+	* etc.<br><br>
-	Dutch authors are over-represented, for the moment. This has to do with the fact that the first phase of the digitizing project focused on the reception of women's writing in the Netherlands: while looking for traces of ''foreign'' authors finding Dutch readers, we found not only the names (or pseudonyms) and works of many non-Dutch authors, but also an astonishing number of Dutch women, who commented, translated, adapted the foreign texts. Instead of the average dozen women that appear in current Dutch literary historiography (concerning the periods before 1900), we found more than [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&gender=F&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&Country_ID=2&personal=&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn 700 Dutch names] (19th century: 400; 18th: 175; 17th: 100; earlier: 25). This sounds incredible; analyses of the data and detailed study of the reception documents themselves will have to explain our findings and may account for the discrepancy between the numbers of lost and surviving authors.<br><br>	+	Classification (and quantification) is also possible on the level of the women's works: <br>
		+	* [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=103&worktopos=&notes=&per_page=200&x=29&y=20 travel writing], <br>
		+	* [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=17&worktopos=&notes=&per_page=200&x=20&y=22 religious writing], <br>
		+	* [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=4&worktopos=&notes=&per_page=200&x=11&y=23 autobiographies], <br>
		+	* [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=2&worktopos=&notes=&per_page=200&x=24&y=26 novels], <br>
		+	* [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=102&worktopos=&notes=&per_page=200&x=22&y=23 historical novels], <br>
		+	* novels containing particular themes or narrative topoi, such as:<br>
		+	** le [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=2&worktopos=MENTORAT&notes=&per_page=200&x=22&y=17 mentorat] (féminin),<br>
		+	** le [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&genre_ids%5B%5D=2&worktopos=REFUSER%3DMARIAGE&notes=&per_page=200&x=19&y=17 refus du mariage]
		+	* works published [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&worktopos=&notes=preface&per_page=200&x=18&y=20 with a preface]:<br>
		+	** [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&worktopos=&notes=autograph+preface&per_page=200&x=18&y=21 by the author herself],<br>
		+	** [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/works?fromworksearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&worktitle=&workyear=&worktopos=&notes=allograph+preface&per_page=200&x=22&y=21 by someone else],
		+	* etc., <br><br>
-	For the other countries, the numbers of authors mentioned in the database ''WomenWriters'' are much smaller. Entry of data has ''not'' taken place in a systematic way: it depended on the writers' being received and read in the Netherlands and on individual interest of NEWW collaborators or occasional information being found by chance. In a next phase of the collaborative research much work is to be done here. For the moment these are the numbers per nationality, and an indication of the period concerned:<br><br>	+	the authors can also be classified according to their being received in a country/countries: <br>
		+	* [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/receptions?fromreceptionsearch=1&sort=year&page=1&searchtoggle=off&workauthor=&worktitle=&workcountry_ids=3&receptionauthor=&receptiontitle=&receptionyear=&country_ids=6&references=&per_page=200 here] French authors who have been received in Spain (according to the present content of the database of course), <br>
		+	* and [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/receptions?fromreceptionsearch=1&sort=year&page=1&searchtoggle=on&workauthor=&worktitle=&workcountry_ids=3&receptionauthor=&receptiontitle=&receptionyear=&country_ids=2&references=&per_page=200&x=16&y=19 here] those French authors who were received in the Netherlands (''idem''), <br><br>
-	* 790 [[Dutch authors]], the first being born 1200 <br>	+	and even according to their celebrity now: <br>
-	* 622 [[French authors]], from 1101<br>	+	* authors mentioned in ''Lettres Européennes. Histoire de la littérature européenne'' (1992) - at least in the Dutch version of it (1994): [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper(authors.name)&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=F&year=&bibliography=Lettres+europ%C3%A9ennes&personal_situation=&financial_situation=&notes=&per_page=20&x=22&y=25 81],<br>
-	* 368 [[English authors]], from 1445 <br>	+	* Dutch and Flemish authors presented by literary historian Knuvelder in his manual (ed. 1982): [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&year=&bibliography=knuvelder&personal_situation=&financial_situation=&notes=&per_page=200&x=26&y=19 25], <br>
-	* 221 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&gender=F&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&Country_ID=4&personal=&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Germany], from 1098<br>	+	* authors chosen to be part of the Utrecht literary canon (2008): [http://neww.huygens.knaw.nl/authors?fromauthorsearch=1&sort=upper%28authors.name%29&page=1&searchtoggle=on&authorname=&pseudonymflag=0&pseudonymflag=1&gender=&year=&country_ids%5B%5D=2&bibliography=&personal_situation=&financial_situation=&notes=Utrechtse+literaire+canon&per_page=200&x=21&y=19 9], <br>
-	* 90 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=10&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn the United States], from 1612<br>	+	* etc.... <br><br>
-	* 81 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&gender=F&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&Country_ID=5&personal=&bibliography=&pageSize=50&page=1 Italy], from 1314<br>	+
-	* 69 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&gender=F&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&Country_ID=7&personal=&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Sweden], from 1303<br>	+
-	* 50 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=22&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Belgium (before 1830: Southern Netherlands)], from 1177 <br>	+
-	* 31 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=8&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Russia], from 1714 <br>	+
-	* 28 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=12&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Denmark], from 1610<br>	+
-	* 24 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=24&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn in Ireland], from 1613<br>	+
-	* 22 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=25&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Norway], from 1780 <br>	+
-	* 17 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=19&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Switzerland], from 1694<br>	+
-	* 16 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=6&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Spain], from 1515<br>	+
-	* 10 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=20&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Austria], from 1633<br>	+
-	* 9 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=13&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Greece], from 1799<br>	+
-	* 9 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=2122&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Slovenia], from 1818 <br>	+
-	* 7 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=9&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Hungary], from 1779 <br>	+
-	* 7 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=17&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Czechia], from 1687 <br>	+
-	* 6 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=15&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Portugal], from 1458<br>	+
-	* 5 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=16&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Poland], from 1700 <br>	+
-	* 5 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=28&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Turkey], from 1725<br>	+
-	* 4 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=31&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Bulgaria], from 1835<br>	+
-	* 3 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=29&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Scotland], from 1755 <br>	+
-	* 3 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=2117&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn colonies of European countries], from 1856 <br>	+
-	* 3 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&authorName=&pseudonym=1&year=&Country_ID=11&personal=&professional=&bibliography=&notesfield=&Editor_ID=geen&pageSize=50 Rumania], from 1828 <br>	+
-	* 3 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=18&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Finland], from 1840<br>	+
-	* 2 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=33&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Canada], from 1820 <br>	+
-	* 2 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&authorName=&pseudonym=1&year=&Country_ID=2118&personal=&professional=&bibliography=&notesfield=&Editor_ID=geen&pageSize=50 Croatia], from 1812 <br>	+
-	* 2 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&authorName=&pseudonym=1&year=&Country_ID=23&personal=&professional=&bibliography=&notesfield=&Editor_ID=geen&pageSize=50 Mexico], from 1648 <br>	+
-	* 2 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=2124&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Argentina], from beginning of 19th century <br>	+
-	* 2 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&authorName=&pseudonym=1&year=&Country_ID=2119&personal=&professional=&bibliography=&notesfield=&Editor_ID=geen&pageSize=50 Serbia], from 1349 <br>	+
-	* 2 authors active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&year=&authorName=&notesfield=&pseudonym=1&Country_ID=2120&personal=&professional=&Editor_ID=geen&bibliography=&pageSize=50&order=a.yearBorn Egypt], from 1840 <br>	+
-	* 1 author active in [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/results.asp?type=authors&authorName=&pseudonym=1&year=&Country_ID=2123&personal=&professional=&bibliography=&notesfield=&Editor_ID=geen&pageSize=50 Slovakia], from 1855. <br><br>	+
-	These figures will have to be compared to those concerning male literary production, and serve as starting points for further research and analysis. <br><br>	+	The authors' being included or not in these listings depends of course on information entered, or not, in the records concerning these women.<br>
		+	Please keep in mind that users who are not logged in cannot see the database in its entirety and may therefore be unable to find some of the information presented on this page.<br>
		+	Changes are made to the database's search functions all the time to accommodate specific needs and wishes: researchers who feel that the database is lacking certain features are encouraged to contact [mailto:suzan.van.dijk@huygensinstituut.knaw.nl Suzan van Dijk] in order to look at the possibilities.<br><br>
-	Other classifications than by nationality/language are possible, and may be no less usefull. For example:<br><br>
-	'''by place of birth:'''<br>
-	*[[women born or/and living in Utrecht]], <br>
-	* or elsewhere;<br><br>
-	'''by genre or type of writing activity:'''<br>	+	SvD, May 2012<br><br><br>
-	*[[translators]], <br>	+
-	*[[journalists]], <br>	+
-	* etc....<br>	+
-		+
-		+
-		+
-		+
-		+
-	'''QUALITATIVE APPROACHES'''<BR><BR>	+
-		+
-	'''or by "authors' intentions", for example:''' <br>	+
-	*[[the choice of narrative developments or topoï]].<br><BR>	+
-		+
-	'''POSSIBLE SPECIFICITIES OF WOMEN'S WRITING'''<BR><BR>	+
-		+
-	work	+
-	stylistic<br>	+
-	'''use of irony''' <br>	+
-	* Benoist, Charriere	+
-		+
-	themes<br>	+
-	'''(female) education'''<br>	+
-	*Epinay, Genlis, LPB	+
-	'''feminism'''<br>	+
-	*Salvan	+
-		+
-	biographical	+
-	conditions for women's authorship<br>	+
-	'''role of parents'''	+
-	*Stael, Genlis	+
-	'''role of husband'''	+
-	*Riccoboni	+
-		+
-		+
-	Suzan van Dijk, 5 February 2009<br><br><br>	+
	<hr>		<hr>
	<br>		<br>
-	*The writing side > <br><br>	+	*The production side > <br><br>

---

Current revision

Women's writing
and participation in the literary field

This part of the website presents women authors: quantities of names entered into the database: now (May 2012) over 4000 (while two years ago they were about 2800). They can be listed and quantified in different ways: according to their nationality, language used, year of birth, genres practiced etc. These are just starting points of course. Final objective is to present and study those writers in their international context - allowing discussion of the place and role of women authors in the literary field: female celebrities as well as hitherto completely unknown or unnoticed women.

As clearly the database WomenWriters is not "complete", any interpretation or conclusion based upon it must be considered as provisional, and in need of check and further reflection. The latter is what this website is meant for.

In this project the word "author" is used in its broadest sense: a woman who wrote and published either fiction or non-fiction, books or contributions to the periodical press, her own texts or translations of writings by others, comments on others’ writings, etc. Therefore, "intermediaries" are being classified here as "authors".

This large definition is not wholly unproblematic. For example: what about oral literature? What about women, like Madame de Sévigné, who did not write for publication, but still exerted considerable influence, when the letters written to her daughter were published some 40 years after her death? These questions have been addressed during the first of the annual “NEWW November meetings”: 22 November 2007, and will be further discussed.

Authors can be (i.e. are often) classified - for the sake of their easily being found - according to their belonging to one country, culture or language. Here also problems arise, because of possible confusion or contradiction between nationality and language. This is equally under discussion.

Thanks to information entered into the database WomenWriters, these authors can also be classified according to other criteria than

• the country they lived in.
  

These can be:

• the year they lived in - here for instance the list of French authors active (living) in 1789,
  
• their work as translators,
  
• their travelling activities,
  
• their activity as (in fact) scholars,
  
• their writing for children,
  
• etc.
  
  

Classification (and quantification) is also possible on the level of the women's works:

• travel writing,
  
• religious writing,
  
• autobiographies,
  
• novels,
  
• historical novels,
  
• novels containing particular themes or narrative topoi, such as:
  
  • le mentorat (féminin),
    
  • le refus du mariage
• works published with a preface:
  
  • by the author herself,
    
  • by someone else,
• etc.,
  
  

the authors can also be classified according to their being received in a country/countries:

• here French authors who have been received in Spain (according to the present content of the database of course),
  
• and here those French authors who were received in the Netherlands (idem),
  
  

and even according to their celebrity now:

• authors mentioned in Lettres Européennes. Histoire de la littérature européenne (1992) - at least in the Dutch version of it (1994): 81,
  
• Dutch and Flemish authors presented by literary historian Knuvelder in his manual (ed. 1982): 25,
  
• authors chosen to be part of the Utrecht literary canon (2008): 9,
  
• etc....
  
  

The authors' being included or not in these listings depends of course on information entered, or not, in the records concerning these women.
Please keep in mind that users who are not logged in cannot see the database in its entirety and may therefore be unable to find some of the information presented on this page.
Changes are made to the database's search functions all the time to accommodate specific needs and wishes: researchers who feel that the database is lacking certain features are encouraged to contact Suzan van Dijk in order to look at the possibilities.

SvD, May 2012

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• The production side >