| Revision as of 11:31, 17 September 2007 (edit) SvDijk (Talk | contribs) (version 17 sept svd) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 12:18, 14 January 2008 (edit) (undo) SvDijk (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| - | <br><br>Interest in the texts and biographies of women writers who wrote before our time is on the rise. After having long been ignored in works of literary historiography, some of these women writers have gained new readers today who consider their texts to be surprisingly "modern". | + | <br><br>For some decades there has been a rise in interest in the texts and lives of women writers who wrote before our time, and some of these women have found a new reading audience after a long period of cultural and historiographical neglect. Their texts are often considered to be surprisingly "modern". |
| - | <br>However, familiarity with the works of women writers varies greatly from one country to another, and the resources that are available to assess their historical significance still remain insufficient. It is difficult to evaluate their importance because we know little about how these works were received in their own day. What kinds of roles did these women play in their time and in forming the literary field? What kind of audience read their works? Finding answers to these questions and attempting to recreate the literary dialogues which these women writers initiated are among the primary interests of the group of researchers collaborating in this programme, and in particular in the current international project entitled NEWW: ''New approaches to European Women’s Writing (before 1900)''. | + | <br>However, familiarity with the works of women writers varies greatly from one country to another, and the resources that are available to assess their historical significance are often insufficient. Because we know so little about how women writers were received in their own day, it is nearly impossible to estimate the importance they may have had. What roles did these women play in their time, in the shaping of the literary field, and for later generations? What kind of audience read their works? In order to answer these questions it is necessary to gain a view of the different dialogues women authors initiated or were involved in. This is among the primary interests of the group of researchers collaborating around the database ''WomenWriters'' and in particular in the current international project entitled NEWW: ''New approaches to European Women’s Writing (before 1900)''. |
| - | <br>The programme seeks to examine these questions in a context larger than that of strict national boundaries. Given this geographical and historical scope, it is evident that millions of pieces of data must be brought to light. A flexible database entitled ''WomenWriters, the Reception of their Works'' has been created to this effect: [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/ www.databasewomenwriters.nl]. This "virtual collaboratory" has been conceived to contain all sorts of references to contemporary reception documents and to other material reflecting on women’s work. It allows a completely new approach to the question of women’s place in European literary history. International collaboration is presently being prepared in order to have the full benefit of this tool. | + | <br>The questions concerning historical position and influence of women writers transcend the national boundaries. Given the large geographical and historical scope of the project, an enormous amount of data must be brought to light. To this effect a flexible database entitled ''WomenWriters, the Reception of their Works'' has been created: [http://www.databasewomenwriters.nl/ www.databasewomenwriters.nl]. It functions as a "virtual collaboratory" and has been conceived to contain all sorts of references to contemporary reception documents and other material recollecting women’s work. The database allows a completely new approach to the question of women’s place in European literary history. International collaboration is presently being set up in order to have the full benefit of this tool. |
| <br> | <br> | ||
| '''The database ''WomenWriters'':'''<br> | '''The database ''WomenWriters'':'''<br> | ||
| - | ''WomenWriters'' makes it possible to study the contemporary international reception of women authors, allowing researchers to focus on various issues: | + | ''WomenWriters'' makes it possible to study the contemporary reception of women authors and allows researchers to focus on various issues: |
| *the creation of networks, | *the creation of networks, | ||
| *the influence of intermediaries, male and female: literary critics, artistic patrons, editors, colleagues etc., | *the influence of intermediaries, male and female: literary critics, artistic patrons, editors, colleagues etc., | ||
| *the role of institutions. | *the role of institutions. | ||
| - | The database enables researchers to approach these questions within a national perspective and, most importantly, at an international level. | + | These questions are not limited to the traditional national perspective, but can be followed across national and linguistic borders, creating the possibility of a transnational and thus more complete view. |
| <br> | <br> | ||
| '''This publishing site ''Women Writers' Networks'':<br> | '''This publishing site ''Women Writers' Networks'':<br> | ||
| - | This website has been conceived in order to illustrate the possibilities created by the database, to which it is directly related. The site contains or is to contain short articles resulting from research allowed by the database, and taking as its point of departure the relationship between women authors and their (more or less) contemporary readers. <br> | + | This website was conceived in order to illustrate the research possibilities created by the database, to which it is directly related. The site contains (and invites) short articles that result from research using the database and investigating into the relationship between women authors and their (more or less) contemporary readers. <br> |
| A short explanation of the navigation (see red square on the left) may be useful.<br> | A short explanation of the navigation (see red square on the left) may be useful.<br> | ||
| - | *According to the perspective that has been used publication is either in the "writing side", following the traditionally adopted direction - from the author towards the reader -, or in the "reading side", where the opposite perspective is being taken: choices made by readers, readers' intentions, etc. In many of the cases to be discussed readers are also writers: that is how virtual "networks" have been created. | + | *"Writing side" focusses on the author herself and her intervention in the literary field. "Reading side" concentrates on the readers in the broadest sense: which attitudes were adopted by whom toward the women's works? In many of the cases to be discussed readers are also writers: this is how virtual "networks" have been created. |
| - | *Under the heading "sources", listings generated by the database structure are presented for future research and briefly commented, in order to serve also as examples for colleagues. | + | *"Sources" presents listings generated by the database structure; the sources are briefly commented in order to serve also as examples for colleagues. |
| *The database ''WomenWriters'' can be directly accessed from here. | *The database ''WomenWriters'' can be directly accessed from here. | ||
| *Temporary exhibitions are being prepared. | *Temporary exhibitions are being prepared. | ||
| - | *The item "E-conference" will, soon, correspond to a possibility for direct comments and online discussion.<br><br> | + | *The item "E-conference" will, soon, correspond to a possibility for direct comments and online discussion. |
| - | Scholars in women's literary history are invited to contact us in view of possible collaboration in the near future. | + | *"Conferences and other activities" are being announced and, afterwards, commented.<br><br> |
| + | We invite researchers in women's literary history to contact us in view of possible collaboration in the near future. <br><br> | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Suzan.vanDijk@let.uu.nl Suzan van Dijk]], Utrecht University<br> | ||
| + | Alicia Montoya, University of Groningen<br> | ||
| + | Anke Gilleir, Catholic University of Leuven <br> | ||
| + | (Executive Committee to the project NEWW) | ||
| <BR><BR> | <BR><BR> | ||
| - | SvD, September 2007<BR> | + | SvD, January 2008<BR> |
| <hr> | <hr> | ||
| <br> | <br> | ||
| *Presentation ><br><br> | *Presentation ><br><br> | ||
Revision as of 12:18, 14 January 2008
The WomenWriters programme
For some decades there has been a rise in interest in the texts and lives of women writers who wrote before our time, and some of these women have found a new reading audience after a long period of cultural and historiographical neglect. Their texts are often considered to be surprisingly "modern".
However, familiarity with the works of women writers varies greatly from one country to another, and the resources that are available to assess their historical significance are often insufficient. Because we know so little about how women writers were received in their own day, it is nearly impossible to estimate the importance they may have had. What roles did these women play in their time, in the shaping of the literary field, and for later generations? What kind of audience read their works? In order to answer these questions it is necessary to gain a view of the different dialogues women authors initiated or were involved in. This is among the primary interests of the group of researchers collaborating around the database WomenWriters and in particular in the current international project entitled NEWW: New approaches to European Women’s Writing (before 1900).
The questions concerning historical position and influence of women writers transcend the national boundaries. Given the large geographical and historical scope of the project, an enormous amount of data must be brought to light. To this effect a flexible database entitled WomenWriters, the Reception of their Works has been created: www.databasewomenwriters.nl. It functions as a "virtual collaboratory" and has been conceived to contain all sorts of references to contemporary reception documents and other material recollecting women’s work. The database allows a completely new approach to the question of women’s place in European literary history. International collaboration is presently being set up in order to have the full benefit of this tool.
The database WomenWriters:
WomenWriters makes it possible to study the contemporary reception of women authors and allows researchers to focus on various issues:
- the creation of networks,
- the influence of intermediaries, male and female: literary critics, artistic patrons, editors, colleagues etc.,
- the role of institutions.
These questions are not limited to the traditional national perspective, but can be followed across national and linguistic borders, creating the possibility of a transnational and thus more complete view.
This publishing site Women Writers' Networks:
This website was conceived in order to illustrate the research possibilities created by the database, to which it is directly related. The site contains (and invites) short articles that result from research using the database and investigating into the relationship between women authors and their (more or less) contemporary readers.
A short explanation of the navigation (see red square on the left) may be useful.
- "Writing side" focusses on the author herself and her intervention in the literary field. "Reading side" concentrates on the readers in the broadest sense: which attitudes were adopted by whom toward the women's works? In many of the cases to be discussed readers are also writers: this is how virtual "networks" have been created.
- "Sources" presents listings generated by the database structure; the sources are briefly commented in order to serve also as examples for colleagues.
- The database WomenWriters can be directly accessed from here.
- Temporary exhibitions are being prepared.
- The item "E-conference" will, soon, correspond to a possibility for direct comments and online discussion.
- "Conferences and other activities" are being announced and, afterwards, commented.
We invite researchers in women's literary history to contact us in view of possible collaboration in the near future.
Suzan.vanDijk@let.uu.nl Suzan van Dijk, Utrecht University
Alicia Montoya, University of Groningen
Anke Gilleir, Catholic University of Leuven
(Executive Committee to the project NEWW)
SvD, January 2008
- Presentation >