Of all the topics in literary theory, feminism has proved to be the most enduring, the most widely influential and has forced an expansion in the English canon in all periods of study. This lively book addresses women writers in the sixteenth century, taking examples from all genres of writing, including religious works, letters and journals, poetry, fiction, translation and books on childcare. It furthers the debate about women as writers within the period and includes, for comparison, their male counterparts where appropriate to the text. All pieces include useful on-the-page annotation and headnotes and are prefaced by a substantial editor's introduction.