Cheryl Lemmens - Indexing and Editorial Services

Editing: The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe

In early modern Europe (from about 1400 to about 1700), women established themselves for the first time as writers in a wide variety of genres, from letters, poetry, drama, and novels to scientific, philosophical, and religious works. They were indeed "the other voice," a necessary counterbalance and source of wisdom in a patriarchal society. As women's rights advocates and political activists, they were feminists (or "proto-feminists") long before feminism became a recognized movement.

Christine de Pizan (1364–ca. 1430), shown at left, is perhaps the epitome of the early modern woman writer; widowed at a young age with three children and her mother to support, she turned to writing to make a living and is considered to be the first professional woman writer in European history. Her oeuvre, which is considerable, is notable for her vigorous defences of women and women's rights, and her attack on the misogyny of the popular Romance of the Rose.

A series of scholarly editions and translations to make early modern women's writings available in English, often for the first time, was established just before the turn of the millennium by founding co-editors Margaret L. King and Albert Rabil, Jr. Between 1996 and 2010, the first sixty volumes of this series, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe, were published by the University of Chicago Press. The co-editors then reached an arrangement to continue the publishing program with new partners at the University of Toronto: Iter Inc., based in the Robarts Library complex, and the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies (CRRS) at Victoria University. The first Toronto Series monograph was published in late 2009, and by the end of 2014 thirty-five titles had appeared. In January 2015, the series co-editors entered into a new arrangement with Iter and the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS). Starting with volume 76, however, Iter became the sole publisher of Other Voice Toronto volumes — a significant milestone. A list of all Toronto Series volumes, both published and planned, can be viewed online.

I edited my first volume in the Toronto Series — a collection of writings in French about the formidable queen Catherine de Médicis — in 2014. Since then, I have edited one English work, as well as translations from Latin, Spanish, and Italian; among the other French volumes I have edited are three works by Christine de Pizan. I have also indexed five volumes: Portraits of the Queen Mother (Catherine de Médicis), Convent Paradise (Arcangela Tarabotti), Letters from Spain (Marie Gigault de Bellefonds, Marquise de Villars), Letters (Isabella Andreini), and The Spiritual Life and Other Writings (Camilla Battista da Varano). Needless to say, each volume has given me fresh insights into women's lives at a turbulent time in world history, and the many ways in which they took up their pens to educate, enlighten, or entertain.

The Art of Childbirth	In Defense of Women	The Wretch, Otherwise Known as Guerrino	Andreini's Letters	New Observations on the French Language

• Pompeo Colonna, In Defense of Women, ed. and introd. Franco Minonzio; introduction translated, with foreword and postcript, by Margaret L. King, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 107 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2024)

• Tullia d'Aragona, The Wretch, Otherwise Known as Guerrino, ed. and introd. Julia L. Hairston, trans. John C. McLucas, ann. Julia L. Hairston and John C. McLucas, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 106 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2024)

• Camilla Battista da Varano, The Spiritual Life and Other Writings, ed. and trans. William V. Hudon, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 103 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2023) [indexed]

• Isabella Andreini, Letters, ed. and trans. Paola De Santo and Caterina Mongiat Farina, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 100 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2023) [also indexed]

  From the editors, Letters: "We are indebted to the peer reviewer, the editorial board and its reader at Iter, and our outstanding copyeditor Cheryl Lemmens for their painstaking review of our work."           – Acknowledgments, page vii

• Marguerite Buffet, New Observations on the French Language, with Praises of Illustrious Learned Women both Past and Present, ed. and trans. Lynn S. Meskill, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 99 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2023)

• Marie Baudoin, The Art of Childbirth: A Seventeenth-Century Midwife's Epistolary Treatise to Doctor Vallant, ed. and trans. Cathy McClive, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 98 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2022)

Amorous Hope	Letters and Poems to and from her Mentor	Lovers' Debates for the Stage	Letters from Spain	Two Lives of Saint Colette

• Pierre de Vaux and Sister Perrine de Baume, Two Lives of Saint Colette, with a Selection of Letters by, to, and about Colette, ed. and trans. Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 94 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2022)

  From the editor, Two Lives of Saint Colette: "As she did for Othea's Letter to Hector, Iter Press's brilliant copy editor Cheryl Lemmens made this book better and richer."           – Acknowledgments, page ix

• Isabella Andreini, Lovers' Debates for the Stage: A Bilingual Edition, ed. and trans. Pamela Allen Brown, Julie D. Campbell, and Eric Nicholson, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 91 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2022)

  From the editors, Lovers' Debates for the Stage: "Cheryl Lemmens was an outstanding copy editor, and the book is much the better for her scrupulous work."           – Acknowledgments, page vii

• Valeria Miani, Amorous Hope, A Pastoral Play: A Bilingual Edition, ed. and trans. Alexandra Coller, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 83 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2021)

  From the editor, Amorous Hope: "Finally, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the extremely thorough review of the manuscript performed by our copyeditor, Cheryl Lemmens, along with her very generous suggestions."           – Acknowledgments, page xii

• Anna Maria van Schurman, Letters and Poems to and from her Mentor and Other Members of her Circle, ed. Anne Larsen and Steve Maiullo, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 81 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2021)

  From the editors, Van Schurman's Letters and Poems: "The Other Voice series team has been a great pleasure to work with. We are deeply grateful ... to Cheryl Lemmens, who meticulously edited the final text and gave us numerous suggestions and learned references ..."           – Acknowledgments, page ix

• Marie Gigault de Bellefonds, Marquise de Villars, Letters from Spain: A Seventeenth-Century French Noblewoman at the Spanish Court, ed. and trans. Nathalie Hester, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 80 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2021) [also indexed]

  From the editor, Letters from Spain: "The anonymous reader's comments on the manuscript and Cheryl Lemmens' eagle-eyed copy-editing were invaluable to the project."           – Acknowledgments, page ix

• Christine de Pizan, The God of Love's Letter and The Tale of the Rose, ed. and trans. Thelma S. Fenster and Christine Reno, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 79 (New York and Toronto: Iter Press, 2021)

  From the editors, The God of Love's Letter and Tale of the Rose: "We thank copyeditor Cheryl Lemmens for her thorough review of the typescript, helpful suggestions, and patient willingness to answer our many questions."           – Acknowledgments, page ix

Convent Paradise	Othea's Letter to Hector	Love Enamored and Driven Mad	Beauty and the Beast: The Original Story	Mirtilla, A Pastoral

• Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Beauty and the Beast: The Original Story, ed. and trans. Aurora Wolfgang, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 74 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2020)

  From the editor, Beauty and the Beast: "Many heart-felt thanks to my talented copyeditor, Cheryl Lemmens, who read my work with great attention and generosity."           – Acknowledgments, page xvii

• Arcangela Tarabotti, Convent Paradise, ed. and trans. Meredith K. Ray and Lynn Lara Westwater, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 73 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2020) [also indexed]

  From the editors, Convent Paradise: "Cheryl Lemmens copyedited the volume meticulously and enriched it with her knowledge and insight."           – Acknowledgments, page xxi

• Lucrezia Marinella, Love Enamored and Driven Mad, ed. and trans. Janet E. Gomez and Maria Galli Stampino, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 72 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2020)

  From the editors, Love Enamored and Driven Mad: "Lastly, Cheryl Lemmens, editor extraordinaire, made the final translation much stronger."           – Acknowledgments, page xviii

• Margaret Fell, Women's Speaking Justified and Other Pamphlets, ed. Jane Donawerth and Rebecca M. Lush, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 65 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2018)

• Isabella Andreini, Mirtilla, A Pastoral: A Bilingual Edition, ed. and introd. Valeria Finucci, trans. Julia Kisacky, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 62 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2018)

  From the editor and translator, Mirtilla, A Pastoral: "We would like to thank ... the most enlightened copy-editor we have ever encountered, Cheryl Lemmens, who gave us brilliant suggestions ..."           – Acknowledgments, page xiv

• Christine de Pizan, Othea's Letter to Hector, trans. and introd. Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski and Earl Jeffrey Richards, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 57 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2017)

  The Wealth of Wives	Claudine de Tencin: Two Novels	The Mutability of Fortune	Portraits of the Queen Mother	Women Playwrights of Early Modern Spain

• Christine de Pizan, The Book of the Mutability of Fortune, trans. and abr. Geri L. Smith, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 52 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2017)

  From the translator, The Book of the Mutability of Fortune: "Particular thanks are due to Cheryl Lemmens for her many insightful suggestions."           – Acknowledgments, page xv

• Nieves Romero-Díaz and Lisa Vollendorf, ed., Feliciana Enríquez de Guzmán, Ana Caro Mallén, and Sor Marcela de San Félix: Women Playwrights of Early Modern Spain, trans. and annot. Harley Erdman, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 49 (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2016)

  From the editors, Women Playwrights of Early Modern Spain: "We also are indebted to some of the great translators of Spanish texts, ... as well as to the anonymous reader and our erudite copy editor, Cheryl Lemmens, both of whom helped improve the manuscript immeasurably."           – Acknowledgments, page xi

• Claudine-Alexandrine Guérin de Tencin, Memoirs of the Count of Comminge and The Misfortunes of Love, ed. and trans. Jonathan Walsh, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 48 (Toronto: Iter Academic Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2016)

• Francesco Barbaro, The Wealth of Wives: A Fifteenth-Century Marriage Manual, ed. and trans. Margaret L. King, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 42 (Toronto: Iter Academic Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2015)

• Leah L. Chang and Katherine Kong, ed. and trans., Portraits of the Queen Mother: Polemics, Panegyrics, Letters – Catherine de Médicis and Others, The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe (Toronto series) 35 (Toronto: Iter Inc. and Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2014) [also indexed]

  From the editors, Portraits of the Queen Mother: "Cheryl Lemmens was an exemplary copyeditor and indexer."           – Acknowledgments, page xi