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

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.