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Przekładaniec.AJournalofLiteraryTranslation24(2010):19–30
doi:10.4467/16891864ePC.12.002.0564
JERZYSTRZELCZYK
THEWOMANTRANSLATORINTHEMIDDLE
AGES.SELECTEDEXAMPLESOFFEMALE
TRANSLATIONACTIVITY
Abstract:Translatoryachievementsofmedievalwomenarerarelydiscussed.In
antiquity,GreekandRomanwritingswerepracticallyallcomposedineitherofthetwo
languages.Greekdominated,sinceLatinwomen’swritingdidnotreachsophistication,
oratleastwedonotpossessproofofit.IntheearlyMiddleAgesthesituationchanged:
Latinbecamedominant,andwritinginthevernacular,whichincludedwomen’swriting,
startedtoberecognized.Whilescholarlyresearchtendedtofocusonhigh-brow,original
literature,femaleliteraryendeavourswerelargelydisregarded.Translation,alow-brow
activity,wasnotconsideredoriginal.Commentsaboutitareratherinfrequentinearly
compendiaofmedievalliterature.Thisabsencemaybepartlyexplainedbythefactthat
originalityitselfwasnotheldinhighregardintheMiddleAges.Onlyrecentlyhasthe
growingresearchintosocialandlegalconditionsofearlywomenaswellasintotheir
variedculturalandliteraryexpressionsbroughtthemadeservedrecognition.
Keywords:
medieval
women
translators,
vernacular
languages,
paraphrase,
hagiography,chivalricpoetry,Secretumsecretorum,fables,Fürstenspiegel,Marie
deFrance,ClemenceofBarking,HiltgartvonHürnheim,ElisabethvonNassau-
Saarbrücken,EleanorofScotland,ArchduchessofAustria
Theaimofthispaperissimple:tosketchtheproblemoftranslatoryin-
terestsandachievementsofmedievalwomenwriterswhobelongedinthe
Europeanculture.Sofarthistopichasnotbeenproperlydiscussedoreven
noticedbyhistorians.InGreco-Romanworld,femaletranslationdidnot
exist,aspracticallyallliteratureavailableforresearchnowwaswritten
ineitherGreekorLatin.Sincewomen’swritingwasweaklydevelopedin
Latin,oratleastlittleofithassurvivedtoourtimes,Greekwastheonly
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