Dock, Terry Smiley. “The
Encyclopedists’ Woman." Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History, vol. 10-11, 1982, pp. 255-63. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?/id=wu.89018110783&view=1up&seq=261.
In an investigation of the Encyclopedists’ treatment of women, Dock guides readers through a journey of the Encyclopédie centering around the articles titled “Femme” (“Woman”) and diverting through the various cross-references found within them including “Femelle” (Female), “Homme” (Man), “Sexe” (Sex), and “Mariage” (Marriage). Dock explores the varying opinions of women of different contributors (pointing out that the “varying” part of opinions was possible due to the radical nature of the Encyclopédie). She explains how these views were inspired by or differ from previous centuries and digs into specific terminology while analyzing specific quotes from entries to determine a holistic eighteenth-century woman. Taken together, Dock notices that no Encyclopédie entry contains a description of the salonnières, or active salon leaders and participants in the philosophe conversation, and rarely are they even referred to (exceptions: Mme de Graffigny and others). Furthermore, there are only two entries written by a (anonymous) female author; none of the two are any of the Femme entries which Dock claims has implications in the design of the Encyclopedists’ woman.
Basic Information
Country of Publication: Canada
Language: English
Decade: 1980s
Main Classification: Women
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
1. English translations Encyclopédie entry titles and passages are given.
2. If you are avoiding sensitive material, keep in mind that this article briefly mentions male and female reproductive organs (as is arguably necessary for a paper on gender). No euphemisms are used.
Updates
10/11/2020: Created page.