The genesis of this exhibit started when I was doing some research on specials collections books for a seminar about the 18^th century literature. Interested in women’s studies and literature, I chose the book “Zayde, Histoire Espagnole” written by Madame de La Fayette. Her name appeared on the library description but was nowhere to be found in the book. Instead, the book was attributed to someone else, a man, member of the Prestigious Académie Française.

This purposeful secrecy of the real identity of the book sprouted numerous questions in my mind about women authorship in the 18^th Century. Whenever the someone thinks of 18^th century French writers and philosophers, the first name that will come to mind are: Voltaire, Diderot, D’Alembert, Rousseau, etc. In the list, you will rarely find a woman’s name. But why? What role did women authors and had in the in the 18^th century’s literary scene? Were woman authors allowed in philosophers circles? Were women allowed to publish their own works? What laws did women had to abide by to publish their works?

The purpose of this online exhibit is to have a broader perspective on what it was to be a women author and translator in the 18^th century. To have a better understanding of the situation we will start by exploring the literary scene and circle in the 18^th century. In a second time, it will be important to understand the legal boundaries woman authors had to abide by. Then, to shed some light on prominent female authors of the 18^th century, 5 different authors and translators and their literary legacy will be presented.