Between 1650 and 1780, English readers and writers were part of a new and rapidly developing print-based media ecology.  In this context, what did it mean for women to declare themselves as authors, writing and publishing their work? The texts we study (poetry, plays, prose fiction, non-fiction) will familiarize you with the literary conventions and historical contexts of the period, as well as suggesting what it means to think about a literary genealogy of women writers.