Articles

Hiding in Plain Sight: Women as Writers of Latin, and Why They Have Been Overlooked

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Abstract

This essay reflects on the beginnings of a project to uncover women Latin poets, initially inspired by Peter Dronke’s work. Historical interest in women Latinists surged during the feminist scholarship of the 1980s. Key publications like The Tenth Muse, and Beyond Their Sex sparked efforts to recover women’s intellectual histories, focusing heavily on prominent Italian Renaissance women such as Isotta Nogarola and Alessandra Scala. However, this focus skewed perceptions, reinforcing the stereotype of isolated, celibate women intellectuals and overlooking more practical uses of Latin by politically active women like condottieri’s wives. Despite ongoing scholarly recovery efforts (e.g., The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe, and various digital projects), these have remained largely Anglo-American and concentrated on Renaissance Italy and Elizabethan England, while broader inclusion remains limited. Ultimately, the study of women Latinists continues to struggle against entrenched assumptions and disciplinary boundaries. The author argues for a more expansive, less Italy-centric understanding of women’s Latin literacy and contributions, particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries, which remain underexplored.

Keywords: Latin; women Neo-Latinists; Renaissance; early modern; women's history

How to Cite:

Stevenson, J., (2026) “Hiding in Plain Sight: Women as Writers of Latin, and Why They Have Been Overlooked”, Journal of Latin Cosmopolitanism and European Literatures 13. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/jolcel.94159