Description: The earliest known literary productions by women living in Europe were probably by French writers. French women have contributed enormously to world literature for centuries, but only a few have been judged worthy of recognition by mostly male critics. As part of the feminist move to reclaim women writers and to rethink literary history, scholars have given growing amounts of attention to French women writers and their substantial contribution. This reference book provides extensive information about French women writers and the world in which they lived. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries for authors, genres, literary movements, institutions, events, and organizations related to French literature. Each entry summarizes feminist thought on the topic, and provides bibliographical information. The volume begins with a feminist history of French literature and concludes with a selected bibliography and a chronological list of French women writers.

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