Teaching French Women Writers of the Renaissance and Reformation ed. by Colette H. Winn (review)

Reviews 239 Winn, Colette H., ed. Teaching French Women Writers of the Renaissance and Reformation. New York: MLA, 2011. ISBN 978-1-60329-090-6. Pp. 440. $25. The MLA has established a solid reputation for its methodology series on teaching the works of various authors.Teaching FrenchWomenWriters continues in this tradition. Divided into four sections, the volume brings to the forefront the recent rediscovery of early modern women writers. Winn, who had previously edited Approaches to Teaching Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron, explains: “Before the 1980s, few early women writers, if any were included in reading lists for preliminary and oral exams, and it was not until 2000 that Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron was featured on the program for the agrégation (Louise Labé had to wait until 2005)”(2). This substantial change to the literary canon naturally brings about new challenges, particularly that of teaching the works of female authors writing in a male-dominated environment. Part 1,“Background and Contexts,” demonstrates how Renaissance and Reformation French women wrote on a wide variety of subjects ranging from those close to home (motherhood,child rearing,healthcare) to those that moved well beyond the traditional household boundaries (law and customs, religion, politics, and aesthetics). It is very fitting that this section begins with Brigitte Roussel’s“Nicole Estienne’s Les misères de la femme mariée and the Marriage Controversy in the Second Half of the Sixteenth Century” as one well imagines that a woman broaching the subject of a controversial marriage would be taboo. Moreover, as a visual learner, this reviewer especially enjoyed all the images detailed in Kathleen Wilson-Chevalier’s “Picturing Great Ladies of the Renaissance Who Helped Pave the Literary Way.” Part 2, “Authors, Works, Genres,” renders homage to Louise Labé, Pernette Du Gillet, women of the epistolary genre, Georgette de Montenay, Anne de Marquets, and Marie de Gournay. Noteworthy in this section is Edith Joyce Benkov’s “The Pasquin and Political Commentary: The Case of Anne de Marquets”as Benkov tackles teaching the complex world of French politics and religion during the second half of the sixteenth century from the perspective of Anne de Marquets,a Dominican nun.Part 3,“Critical Concerns,”is the key methodological section as it provides best practices for pedagogical approaches as well as comparative contexts and strategies. For example, Leah Chang’s “The Cross-Dressed Text: Reading Men Writing asWomen in Sixteenth-Century France”takes full account on the pre-conceived notions that students have about women writers from this time period and how to break them down. Claude La Charité’s “How Should Sixteenth-Century Feminine Poetry Be Taught? The Exemplary Case of Marie de Romieu”takes the fear out of teaching poetry. Part 4,“Current Resources,”provides the much-needed practical information for developing a course.Particularly impressive in this section is the balance of print,professional, and online resources and activities.Winn has assembled an inspiring collection of articles that provide a solid foundation for anyone wanting to develop a course or enhance an existing one on French women writers of the Renaissance and Reformation. Canisius College (NY) Eileen M. Angelini ...