| The dissertation 'Nothing but Love. Gender and the Canonization of Women Poets in Ancient Greece' is a study of the canon of Greek women poets in antiquity. This canon includes the archaic poetess Sappho, four poetesses from the early classical period (Myrtis, Korinna, Telesilla and Praxilla) and four poetesses from the Hellenistic era (Erinna, Anyte, Moero and Nossis), ranging in time from 600 to 280 B.C. The main question is: why were these poetesses canonized and what was the relationship between gender and canonization? Few women wrote poetry and they applied themselves to specific genres: lyrical poetry, choral poetry for girls, laments and epigrams. With the exception of Sappho, women poets were considered as a separate group outside mainstream literary life. They were often described as relatives of Sappho or natives of Lesbos. Because of the outstanding quality of her work, Sappho was the only women poet who gained entry into a canon with male poets, the canon of lyrical poets. However, her poetry was still read as work of a female artist. This dissertation demonstrates that gender was an important factor in the reception of women poets in antiquity. Women poets were supposed to be inferior to men, as is shown for instance by the tradition that Korinna defeated Pindar in a poetic contest, not because of her literary merits, but because of her beauty. Women poets were also supposed to be simple and naïve and therefore to express an authentic women's voice. Especially Erinna's lament and Anyte's epigrams were esteemed for these qualities. Women poets were supposed to write about the private world of women, from which men were otherwise cut off. Especially Sappho and Nossis were read as experts on women's feelings, particularly about love. Although poets as Praxilla and Moero wrote on a variety of subjects, only work on female characters was preserved. The canonized women poets were much admired and served as a source of inspiration for later poets. At the same time they were sometimes subjected to ridicule and criticism. This criticism turned their strongest feature, their supposed knowledge of love, against them by depicting them as unchaste. Women who wrote poetry ventured into a male world and this caused tension with traditional ideals of female chastity and modesty. |
