‘Dattet gheen vrauwe werc en es’: Genderverhoudingen en gebruikscontexten in de Middelnederlandse literatuur

Abstract

In the first issue of Nederlandse letterkunde, Dieuwke van der Poel analysed Der vrouwen heimelijcheit, a rhymed Middle Dutch text regarding all sorts of ‘women’s affairs’ such as conception, pregnancy and menstruation. She examined the text from a gender perspective and in particular from the different point of view of women as readers. Building on this approach, this article presents a brief overview of the research trends on gender in Middle Dutch literature since Van der Poel’s publication. The unique position of women as readers and writers is a central topic, alongside new developments in the field of user contexts. The increasing focus on manuscript variation offered new insights into readership and how readers (m/v/x) interact with their texts. In addition, intersectional analysis of the relationship between status and gender provides additional understanding of the possibilities and limitations of women and their role in both creating and interpreting Middle Dutch literature.