Women and the Rise of the Novel, 1405-1726

Women and the Rise of the Novel, 1405-1726 is the first theoretical study of early modern women's contribution to the rise of the novel. Named in its first edition an "Outstanding Academic Book of the Year," by Choice, this second, expanded edition includes two new chapters that extend its scope to include philosophical writings and memoirs. Unique in its comparative and premodern focus, the study examines works in Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as English, highlighting the contributions of writers from Christine de Pizan and Marguerite de Navarre to Margaret Cavendish and Jane Barker. Donovan shows how these women used the theological method of casuistry and the framed-novelle genre to construct a feminist "prosaics", which was essential to the novel's epistemology.