FOREWORD Inthis volume of Women in FrenchStudies we begin two new features: aprofile ofawinnerofourcontestforPh.D. students andareview article ofcritical workby one ofourboardmembers. Ourfirst"étatde lacritique," by Grace Armstrong, is, appropriately , concernedwith the work ofthe medievalperiod. We planto continue with such review articles for later eras. We are particularly pleasedto have two interviews with writers: Beatrix Beck and Antonine Maillet. We are also happy to publish two male members of Women in French. It is interesting tonote thatmore thanhalfthe essays and interviews deal with works by authors from outside the Hexagon! One essay is concerned with French history but only three writers discussed are strictly French; three are or were ofSwiss nationality, two essays deal with Canadian writers and one is on the world-traveling writer from Guadeloupe, Maryse Condé. Perhaps national boundaries are of little importance in the growing body ofliteratureby womenwriting in French. Our illustration forthis issue is a drawing, "SelfPortrait" by Lucy Letcher. Lucy graduated from Colby College in 1998 with distinction in French literature and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earlier spent herjunior year at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. Theprizeessaytobe publishedinVolume VI (1998) is: Chloé Hogg, Universityof Pennsylvania: "The Philosopheras Tramp and Female in the Writings ofGraffigny." Honorable mention is awarded to Erica Cocke, University ofCalifornia-Davis: "Amazons and Androgyns in the Margins ofPoems by Catherine des Roches." Thanks are due to many people who have helped to make this 1998 volume of Women in French possible. Colette Hall, president of Women in French, who has been the managing editor, advisor, and continual support for ourjournal, deserves special thanks, as does the editorial board. This year we have added two co-editors, from among the board members. AdriannaPaliyenko is in charge ofthe graduate student competition; these essays should from now on be sent to her at Colby College. Valérie Lastinger, West VirginiaUniversity, is inchargeofbookreviews, anewsectiontobegin in 1999. Valérie would liketoreceive books forreview, suggestions oftitles to bereviewed, and names ofthose who would like to write reviews. At Ball State University, I have been given financial and moral support from Warren Vander Hill, Provost; Beverly Pitts, Associate Provost; Ronald Johnstone, Dean ofthe College ofSciences andHumanities; Douglas Barnette, Chairperson ofthe Department of Modern Languages and Classics. Andrew Howard and Jesse Prater prepared the layout. In addition, I have been helped by two Honors College students, Misty Bodkins and Denisa Paradise. Asthis isthejournal ofthemembers ofWomen in French, commentand suggestions are always welcome. Adèle King, EditorBall State University Women in French Studies ...