Autoras desconocidas y ensombrecidas del Renacimiento europeo / Unknown and Overshadowed Women Writers of the European Renaissance
Major
Hispanic Studies
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Area of Study or Work
Hispanic Studies(Spanish)
Faculty Advisor
Carolyn Nadeau
Expected Graduation Date
2025
Location
CNS E104
Start Date
4-12-2025 11:15 AM
End Date
4-12-2025 12:15 PM
Abstract
Most people who speak English have taken a class in which they studied William Shakespeare’s work, and similarly, nearly all Spanish-speakers have studied the works of Miguel de Cervantes in one form or another. Why are both of these famous Renaissance authors men? In observing the writers most well-known by the general public in the history of countries across the globe, almost every single one is male. Very few female authors wrote works that have survived to the present day, particularly in Spain and England during the Renaissance. Though there are not enough, some female writers most well-known nowadays from the time period are a Spanish woman named María de Zayas y Sotomayor and Aemilia Lanyer from England, both known for their expressions of femininity throughout an era full of women experiencing oppression on account of their gender. In their works, Zayas and Lanyer include odes in honor of certain women, as well as representations of female figures with references to classical mythology and allusions to Christianity. A common result of these strategies was an environment of solidarity and community within women suffering from discrimination that they confronted in their daily lives, primarily to implicitly communicate characteristics of the feminine identity of this century. However, in today’s modern academic world, the work with which these female authors experienced sexism-related challenges are still very unrecognized to this day.
Autoras desconocidas y ensombrecidas del Renacimiento europeo / Unknown and Overshadowed Women Writers of the European Renaissance
CNS E104
Most people who speak English have taken a class in which they studied William Shakespeare’s work, and similarly, nearly all Spanish-speakers have studied the works of Miguel de Cervantes in one form or another. Why are both of these famous Renaissance authors men? In observing the writers most well-known by the general public in the history of countries across the globe, almost every single one is male. Very few female authors wrote works that have survived to the present day, particularly in Spain and England during the Renaissance. Though there are not enough, some female writers most well-known nowadays from the time period are a Spanish woman named María de Zayas y Sotomayor and Aemilia Lanyer from England, both known for their expressions of femininity throughout an era full of women experiencing oppression on account of their gender. In their works, Zayas and Lanyer include odes in honor of certain women, as well as representations of female figures with references to classical mythology and allusions to Christianity. A common result of these strategies was an environment of solidarity and community within women suffering from discrimination that they confronted in their daily lives, primarily to implicitly communicate characteristics of the feminine identity of this century. However, in today’s modern academic world, the work with which these female authors experienced sexism-related challenges are still very unrecognized to this day.