“Feminine Writing” in the Past and Present in Romania

Abstract

If we browse through the literary histories, we surprisingly notice that, at least until recent days, women writers are almost absent. What is the cause for such a phenomenon? Is there a feminine literature, or is it rather an invention of the feminists? If there is, is it a literature of the periphery? Is the alleged marginality a sociological problem or one of history of mentalities? Can we define it without making reference to the “masculine” literature? Here are some questions which prove the fact that the problem is a complex one that can hardly be put into strict conceptual frameworks. There are partisans of feminine literature, but there are also sceptics. We are going to try to define the concept reviewing different opinions that have been expressed starting with the beginning of the 20th century, when the first women writers made their presence known, until the present days, when the phenomenon of feminine literature became a very well-known one in the literary field. Abandoning the dichotomy masculine feminine or even the lack of differentiation, ideas that were manifested in the writing field too, become a symptom of modernity. Confronted with the perspective of absolute equality, but also with her desire to still be a woman, the “female writer” must face the new challenges of today’s world.