Louise von Francois and die Letzte Reckenburgerin: A Feminist Reading

Although nearly forgotten today, Louise von Francois (1817-1893) enjoyed until the collapse of the Weimar Republic a reputation as one of Germany’s outstanding women writers. Her life and work provide a fruitful testing ground for current feminist methodologies and theories. This study examines Francois’s literary career as an example of the anxiety of authorship, presents a reading of Francois’s finest novel, Die letzte Reckenburgerin (1870), and traces the reception of that novel.