Blog — Women in Literature

A Girl Called Foote falls into the category of books I found while randomly flipping through the ebook offerings of the local library. Isn’t it wonderful how the library lets us take a chance on books we wouldn’t normally consider? In all honesty, I chose the book because of its cover. It stands out from other library offerings in its simplicity. subtle, elegant, as enigmatic as the title, and reminiscent of old books – thus well-suited for a novel about a 19th century bookworm The book begins as an episodic novel, showing glimpses into the childhoods of the two protagonists:...

For many books, different editions are broadly similar, with a few corrections and updates in later editions. This is not the case for Malvina Blanchecotte's Rêves et Réalités. Later editions include a significant amount of added material. The following poem, Déshéritée, was added for the 2nd and 3rd editions. I struggled with a translation for the title of this poem. "Déshéritée" means underprivileged or disinherited (female person), but that isn't poetic and in the context of the poem, this woman is a black sheep, rather than financially deprived. After weeks of pondering and looking through thesauri and dictionaries, I came...

If you have been following this blog series, welcome back!  If you are just now tuning in, I recommend catching up by reading this brief biography of Malvina Blanchecotte.  The following poem, the Dreamer, appears in Blanchecotte's second collection of poetry, Nouvelles Poésies.   Overthere by Gabriel Frascella* (used with permission)   LA RÊVEUSE A UNE CRÉOLE   L’œil fixe et ne regardant rien,Inattentive et sérieuse,Tout révèle dans ton maintienQuelque peine mystérieuse. Nos paroles n’arrivent pasA ton oreille au loin distraite :Tu sembles écouter tout basLe chant d’une autre voix secrète. Ainsi réfugiée en toi,A tout le reste indifférente,Où s’en va ton rêve ?...

Autodidact, seamstress, teacher, single mother, poet   In 1830, the Souvilles, a working class family in Paris, had a baby girl. Augustine Alphonsine Malvina was largely self-taught and learned English, German, and Latin. She married an accountant by the name of Blanchecotte in 1850. However, he was eventually hospitalized for a mental illness, and she was left to raise their son alone. She worked as a seamstress and bookkeeper, and later as a teacher. Malvina Blanchecotte participated in the salon of Louise Colet, a fellow poet, and made the acquaintance of other writers, including George Sand (Schultz 136). Lamartine, in...

You are probably wondering who Malvina Blanchecotte is. She is an obscure member of a largely ignored group of writers: women poets of the 19th century. I would like to do a series of posts about her life and work, beginning with some of her own words.  A UNE INCONNUE.Vous qui, lisant mes vers, avez compris mon âme,Qui, me tendant la main, avez dit : Me voici !Vous qui voyez des pleurs sous mon voile de femme,     Oh ! vous avez souffert aussi !Dimanche 23 october 1854. Since most of Blanchecotte's work is not available in English, I've provided...