If you’ve ever wondered what part women played in the printing revolution, then an upcoming BRLSI talk is for you. Against the background of the varied and complex linguistic situation of early modern Italy and its lively and ever-expanding printing market, this talk investigates the roles played by women in the dissemination of knowledge by means of translation. It explores their contribution, as agents of all kinds – dedicatees, addressees, patrons, and readers, as well as translators—to the production, circulation, and reception of texts of different genres translated from (or into) the classical languages, as well as from vernacular to vernacular.

Helena Sanson is Professor of Italian, History of Linguistics and Women’s Studies at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Clare College. She is the founder of the peer-reviewed journal Woman Language Literature in Italy and of the book series Women & Gender in Italy 1500-1900 (Paris: Classiques Garnier).