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{{Short description|German secular canoness, dramatist, and poet}}
{{redirect|Roswitha}}
[[File:Roswitha Duerer.jpg|thumb|320px|Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim presents an aged emperor Otto the Great with her ''Gesta Oddonis'', under the eyes of Abbess [[Gerberga II, Abbess of Gandersheim|Gerberga]]. 1501 [[woodcut]] by [[Albrecht Dürer]].]]

'''Hrotsvitha''' ({{Circa|935}}–973) was a secular [[canoness]] who wrote drama and [[Christian poetry]] under the [[Ottonian dynasty]]. She was born in [[Bad Gandersheim]] to [[Saxons|Saxon]] nobles and entered [[Gandersheim Abbey]] as a canoness.<ref name=":08">{{Cite web|url=http://scihi.org/hrotsvitha-gandersheim/|title=Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim – The Most Remarkable Women of her Time|last=Sack|first=Harald|date=2019-02-06|website=SciHi Blog|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref> She is considered the first female writer from the [[Germanosphere]], the first female historian, the first person since the [[Fall of the Roman Empire]] to write dramas in the Latin West,<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/42004382|title=A history of women's writing in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland|date=2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press|author1=Ives, Margaret|author2=Suerbaum, Almut|others=Catling, Jo.|isbn=0-521-44482-9|location=Cambridge|oclc=42004382}}</ref> and the first German female poet.<ref name=":72">{{Cite journal|last=Bayerschmidt|first=Carl F.|date=1966-11-01|title=Hroswitha of Gandersheim. Her Life, Times and Works, and a Comprehensive Bibliography. Edited by Anne Lyon Haight|journal=The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory|volume=41|issue=4|pages=302–303|doi=10.1080/19306962.1966.11754646|issn=0016-8890}}</ref>

Hrotsvitha's six short dramas are considered to be her most important works.<ref name=":72" /> She is one of the few women who wrote about her life during the early [[Middle Ages]], making her one of the only people to record a history of women in that era from a woman's perspective.<ref name=":28">{{Cite journal|last=Frankforter|first=A. Daniel|date=February 1979|title=Hroswitha of Gandersheim and the Destiny of Women|journal=The Historian|volume=41|issue=2|pages=295–314|doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.1979.tb00548.x|issn=0018-2370}}</ref> She has been called "the most remarkable woman of her time",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lentmadness.org/2019/03/hrotsvitha-vs-gobnait/|author=Emily McFarlan Miller|title=Hrotsvitha vs. Gobnait|date=2019-03-20|website=Lent Madness|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref> and an important figure in the history of women.<ref name=":08" />

Little is known about Hrotsvitha's personal life.<ref name=":08" /> All of her writing is in [[Medieval Latin]].<ref name="name-doctor.com">{{Cite web|title=Hrotsvitha - Name's Meaning of Hrotsvitha|url=http://www.name-doctor.com/name-hrotsvitha-meaning-of-hrotsvitha-50282.html|access-date=2019-12-03|website=Name-Doctor.com}}</ref> Her works were rediscovered in 1501 by the humanist [[Conrad Celtes]] and translated into English in the 1600s.<ref name=":28" />

Hrotsvitha's name ([[Latin language|Latin]]: ''Hrotsvitha Gandeshemensis'') appears in various forms including: '''Hrotsvit''', '''Hrosvite''', '''Hroswitha''', '''Hroswithe''', '''Rhotswitha''', '''Roswit''', '''Roswindis''' and '''Roswitha'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hrosvitha|title=Hrosvitha {{!}} German poet|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2019-12-03}}</ref> It means "a mighty shout", and speaks to the way she wanted to glorify Christian heroes and legends, as well as the values they represent.<ref name=":127">{{Cite book|title=Hrotsvit Of Gandersheim|last=Wilson|first=Katharina|publisher=University of Toronto Press|year=2004|location=Toronto|pages=3–10}}</ref> Some have commented on how this either represents or conflicts with the personality presented in her writing.<ref name=":84">{{Cite journal|last=Coulter|first=Cornelia C.|date=1929|title=The "Terentian" Comedies of a Tenth-Century Nun|journal=The Classical Journal|volume=24|issue=7|pages=515–529|issn=0009-8353|jstor=3289343}}</ref>

While many have questioned the authenticity of Hrotsvitha's work,<ref name=":102">{{Cite journal|last=Hudson|first=William Henry|date=1888|title=Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim|journal=The English Historical Review|volume=3|issue=11|pages=431–457|issn=0013-8266|jstor=546611}}</ref> examinations and collections of her works, coupled with multiple historical and contemporary works that speak of her, demonstrate that Hrotsvitha's work is authentic.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Zeydel|first=Edwin|date=Jul 1947|title=A Chronological Hrotsvitha Bibliography through 1700 with Annotations|journal=The Journal of English and Germanic Philology|volume=46|issue=3|pages=290–294|jstor=27712888}}</ref> [[Feminism|Feminist]] scholars have argued that this questioning of the authenticity of Hrotsvitha's work reflects a [[Sexism|sexist]] narrative rather than revealing a flaw in her work or that she did not exist, as individuals have been engaging with her work for hundreds of years, and with increased intensity since her rediscovery during the [[German Renaissance]].<ref name=":3" />

==Life and background==
[[File:Bad Gandersheim - Stiftskirche - Westwerk.JPG|thumb|left|Gandersheim abbey church]]
All the information about Hrotsvitha comes from the prefaces of her work, and later interpretations of her writings. It is generally accepted that Hrotsvitha was born in approximately 935 and died in 973.<ref name=":08"/> Little is known of her lineage, or why she took the veil.

Gandersheim Abbey was a house of secular canonesses. There is some debate over when she entered. Hrotsvitha took vows of chastity and obedience but not poverty. She could live a relatively comfortable life and leave the monastery at any time, all while being protected, studying from a large library, and learning from many teachers. This speaks to her economic position as being from a noble family. Hrotsvitha began her studies under the nun Rikkardis, who was younger than she. She also studied under the [[Gerberga II, Abbess of Gandersheim|Abbess Gerberga]], granddaughter of King [[Henry the Fowler]].<ref name=":08"/> Abbess Gerberga became a friend and adviser of Hrotsvit.<ref name=":0" /> She was a good student who read many works popular at the time with a particular focus on legends about saints and would have spent much of her time learning how to write verse.<ref name=":84"/> Hrotsvitha herself became a teacher in her 20s.

As her writings demonstrate a rather mature perspective, they may have been written when she was older.<ref name=":08"/> She had a good grasp of the legal system, the history of the [[Ottonian dynasty]] and their line of succession. Hrotsvitha was the first [[Northern Europe]]an to write about [[Islam]] and the Islamic empire. She was both educated and well informed. Her use of myths indicates a specific perspective as she writes about the importance of Christianity—with a focus on virginity, martyrdom, and the strength of Christian values—in the face of the threat Islam posed.<ref name=":127"/>

At first, Hrotsvitha wrote in secret until she was encouraged to read her works out loud and edit them. The Abbess encouraged her to continue writing.<ref name=":84" /> Hrotsvitha primarily wrote legends, comedies, and plays. Her Books of Legends or ''Carmina liber primus'' was written in the 950s or 960s and was written in honor of Abbess Gerberga. It contains eight legends written in dactylic hexameter.<ref name=":08"/> Her most popular work was ''The Book of Drama'', or ''Liber Secundus'', which offered a Christian alternative to the work of the Roman playwright Terence. In contrast to Terence, who told stories about women who were weak and morally corrupt, Hrothsvitha stories were about virtuous virgins with a strong connection to God and who persevered through adversity. Hrotsvitha's third book contains the ''Gesta Ottonis'', which details the history of the Ottonians from 919 to 965;<ref>Phyllis G. Jestice, ''Hrotsvitha's 'Gesta Ottonis' and the Historical and Literary Cultures of Tenth-Century Germany'', The Historical Journal, vol. 43, no. 3 (September 2000)</ref> and the ''Primordia coenobii Gandeshemensis'', the history of Gandersheim Abbey.<ref name=":08"/>

==Works==
[[File:Roswitha of Gandersheim.jpg|thumb|Roswitha of Gandersheim]]

Hrothsvitha's works fall under the categories of legends, comedies, and plays. Cardinal Gasquet said her works have "a claim to an eminent place in medieval literature, and do honor to her sex, to the age in which she lived, and to the vocation which she followed."<ref name=":153" /> The works are organized chronologically and speak to how Hrotsvitha valued the Christian approach to life.<ref name=":127"/>

Despite Hrothsvitha's importance as the first known female playwright, her work was not seen as important and translated into English until the 1600s.<ref name=":28" /> She is often omitted in texts about the history of plays and literature.<ref name=":54"/>

The most important [[manuscript]] of her works, containing all the texts other than ''Primordia'', is the Codex Bayerische Staatsbibliothek ([[Bavarian State Library]]) Clm 14485, a manuscript written by several different hands in Gandersheim toward the end of the 10th or start of the 11th centuries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wdl.org/en/item/13458/|title=Hrotsvitha's Poems|date=1000|website=www.wdl.org|access-date=2019-12-06}}</ref> It was discovered by the [[Humanism|humanist]] [[Conrad Celtis]] in 1493/94 in the Cloister of St. Emmeram in [[Regensburg]] and formed the first edition (illustrated by [[Albrecht Dürer]]).

===''Liber Primus''===
The ''Book of Legends'' is a collection of eight legends: "Maria", "Ascensio", "Gongolfus", "Pelagius", "[[Theophilus of Adana|Theophilus]]", "Basilius", "Dionysius", and "Agnes". All are written in [[Leonine verse|Leonine]] hexameter except "Gongolph", which is written in rhymed distichs. "Theophilus" and "Basilius", are based on Latin translations of the ''vitae'' of Greek saints, and are versions of the Faustian tradition, in which a sinner sells his soul to the Devil.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Hudson|first=William Henry|date=1888|title=Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim|journal=The English Historical Review|language=en|volume=III|issue=XI|pages=431–457|doi=10.1093/ehr/III.XI.431|issn=0013-8266}}</ref><ref name=":134">{{Cite book|title=Hrotsvit and the Devil|last=Silber|first=Patricia|year=2004}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last=McDonald-Miranda|first=Kathryn|title=Hrosvit of Gandersheim: Her Works and Their Messages|journal=Cleveland State University}}</ref> Hrotsvitha supplements the story with her description of Theophilus in ''The Seven Arts'': ''De sophiae rivis septeno fonte manantis.''

A common theme throughout is the constant battle between good and evil. The Devil is a frequent presence in many of Hrosvitha's works, and she characterizes him according to the conventions of her time. In "Dionysius" and "St. Agnes" she recounts the martyrdoms of early Christians.<ref name=":14" /> The Liber Primus reflects Hrotsvitha's interest in combining classical forms with Christian themes, and her desire to create literature that promotes Christian morality and virtue.<ref>Phyllis B. Roberts, ''Hrotsvitha's 'Liber Primus' and the Cult of St. Agnes'', The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Volume 89 (1990), pp. 149-162.</ref>

===''Liber Secundus''===
The ''Book of Drama'' presents a [[Roman Catholic]] alternative to [[Terence]]. These are the six plays: "Gallicanus", "[[Dulcitius (play)|Dulcitius]]",<ref name=":4" /> "Calimachus", [[Abraham (Hrotsvitha play)|"Abraham"]], [[Paphnutius (play)|"Pafnutius"]], and "Sapientia". They are essentially love stories, written in prose, and are not so much dramas as "dialogues." Though initially considered [[medieval]] examples of [[closet drama]], recent scholarship has shown that Hrotsvitha was associated with the theatrical exploits of the Ottonian court and, furthermore, within the context of the Gandersheim cloister, it is possible that her plays may have been staged or, at least, read aloud.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pTzhCgAAQBAJ&q=hrotsvit&pg=PA97|title=A Handbook to the Reception of Greek Drama|last=van Zyl Smit|first=Betine|date=2016|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|isbn=9781118347751|language=en}}</ref>

As the earliest known woman writer in the German lands, Hrotsvitha was keenly aware that her gender made her writings less likely to be taken seriously than that of her male contemporaries.<ref name=":28"/> In the prologue to ''The Book of Legends,'' Hrotsvitha says: "Scorn he should not render at the writer's weaker gender/ Who these small lines had sung with a woman's untutored tongue/ But rather should he praise the Lord's celestial grace."<ref name=":134"/>

In general, Hrosvitha's plays were works of [[hagiography]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kDD_0GztLYkC&q=hagiography+hrotsvit&pg=PA241|title=Medieval Hagiography: An Anthology|last=Head|first=Thomas F.|date=2001|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-93753-5|language=en}}</ref>  All six speak to a consistent theme in Hrothsvitha's work, the virtue of virginity over temptation.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07504b.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Hroswitha|website=www.newadvent.org|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref>

Her plays contrast the chastity and perseverance of Christian women with Roman women, who were portrayed as weak and emotional. Hrotsvitha wrote her plays in response to those of Terence, a popular Roman playwright who she thought unfairly represented women as immoral.<ref name=":28"/> She writes, "Wherefore I, the strong voice of Gandersheim, have not hesitated to imitate a poet (Terence) whose works are so widely read, my object being to glorify, within the limits of my poor talent, the laudable chastity of Christian virgins in that self-same form of composition which has been used to describe the shameless acts of licentious women."<ref name="Rudolph 58–90">{{Cite journal|last=Rudolph|first=Anna|title=Ego Clamor Validus Gandeshemensis Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim: Her Sources, Motives, and Historical Context|pages=58–90}}</ref>

All these dramas serve a discreet purpose. "Gallicanus" and "Calimachus" focus on conversion, "Abraham" and "Pafnutius" tell stories of redemption and repentance, and "Dulcitius" and "Sapientia" tell stories of virgin martyrdom. Cumulatively they speak to the power of Christ and Christian values, which was Hrothsvitha's objective.<ref name=":127"/> They are known to have been performed many times since her death, the earliest confirmation of which was in Paris in 1888.<ref name=":153"/>

She writes in her preface that her writing will appeal to many who are attracted by the charm of style.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Butler|first=Mary Marguerite|date=2011|title=Hrotsvitha: The Theatricality of Her Plays|journal=Literary Licensing}}</ref> There are comedic elements, as in "Dulcitius", when the wicked blind governor stumbles among pots and pans, having attempted to molest three virgins. The women watch and laugh.<ref name=":54"/> Although they go on to become martyrs for their faith, they do so on their own terms. "Dulcitius" is the only one of Hrotsvitha's comedies which aligns with the modern comedic genre.<ref name=":153">{{Cite book|title=Hroswitha of Gandersheim|last=Haight|first=Anne Lynn|publisher=The Hroswitha Club|year=1965|pages=3}}</ref>

===''Liber Tertius''===
The third book is dedicated to Emperors [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] and Otto II, and consists of two historical writings in Latin hexameters. ''Gesta Oddonis'' tells the story of the Ottonian dynasty, and its rise to power; and ''Primordia Coenobii Gandeshemensis'' tells the history of Gandersheim Abbey.<ref name=":127"/><ref>Paul Pascal, ''Hrotsvitha's 'Liber Tertius': A New Text and Translation'', Journal of Medieval Latin, Volume 26 (2016), pp. 1-37.</ref>

==Legacy==

=== Feminism ===
Hrothsvitha's work was largely ignored until [[Conrad Celtes|Conrad Celtis]] rediscovered and edited her work in the 1500s.<ref name=":28"/> In the 1970s,<ref name=":54">{{Cite journal|last=Case|first=Sue-Ellen|date=December 1983|title=Re-Viewing Hrotsvit|journal=Theatre Journal|volume=35|issue=4|pages=533–542|doi=10.2307/3207334|jstor=3207334}}</ref> feminists began their own rediscovery of her work under a gendered lens to re-contextualize it<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Homans|first=Margaret|date=1994|title=Feminist Fictions and Feminist Theories of Narrative|journal=Narrative|volume=2|issue=1|pages=3–16|issn=1063-3685|jstor=20107020}}</ref> to demonstrate that women of the past did have important roles in their societies, but their work was lost or not seen as important.<ref name=":54"/> Feminists have done this re-contextualization to learn about women's history, while not claiming that these women were feminists,<ref name=":28"/> to emphasize the importance of women throughout history even if they are forgotten.<ref name=":28"/> Because of this, Hrotsvitha has continued to garner much attention in the field of feminism studies, helping to provide a better sense of historical acknowledgement, accomplishment, and significance to women through the Canoness' work.

====Representation of women====
[[File:Hrotsvitha memorial Gandersheim.JPG|thumb|Hrotsvitha memorial in Gandersheim]]

Hrotsvitha's writing mimics Biblical texts.<ref name=":110">{{Cite journal|last=Butler|first=Colleen|date=2016|title=Queering The Classics: Gender, Genre, and Reception In The Works of Hrotsvit of Gandersheim}}</ref>  According to A. Daniel Frankforter, Hrotsvitha seems to confirm the assumption that woman's work was inferior, by saying that any excellence in her work is the excellence of God, not her own,<ref name=":28"/> although this may also merely be a standard literary convention of the time.

Hrotsvitha depicted women as having the power of self-determination and agency through taking the veil and abstaining from sexual relationships. This presents a very progressive view of women and their power in older societies, highlighted by various researchers that studied how Hrotsvitha's work often reflected the lives of women of her time.<ref name="Rudolph 58–90"/> While she writes of women as virtuous, courageous, witty, and close to God she only speaks about one man without contempt, finding that they are disproportionately susceptible to temptation. Hrotsvitha sees women being the weaker sex as allowing God to more easily work through them to find grace for their salvation and the salvation of those with whom they come in contact. This, therefore, suggests that women are not less than men in the eyes of God. Hrotsvitha believes that a virginal life dedicated to Jesus is best, but she can be empathetic towards mothers, and even prostitutes,<ref name=":28"/> thus demonstrating a keen understanding of women's lives and options at the time.<ref name=":54"/>

Hrotsvitha plays focus on the issues that affect women of her time such as marriage, rape, and being seen as an object.<ref name=":54"/> [[Dulcitius (play)|"Dulcitius"]], deals with rape, a common issue and form of oppression that women experience.<ref name=":54"/> It is even argued that Hrotsvitha's work of "Dulcitius" acted as a reflection to lives of women in her hometown of Gandersheim, living in a hostile environment targeted by an extrinsic threat that is male in nature, showing the possible focus she gives towards women and feminism as a whole.<ref name="Rudolph 58–90"/> In "Callimach", a woman, who has been the subject of an attempted rape, prays for death. God grants her prayer and she dies before the man can resume his attack.<ref name=":54"/> Taken by her beauty the man goes to her grave and attempts intercourse with her corpse, but is killed by a venomous serpent.<ref name=":54"/> Both of these plays show a key to Hrothsvitha's work: that religion can provide women with freedom and independence, allowing them to empower themselves.<ref name=":54"/>

====Impact on Theatre====
Hrothsvitha contributes to the work of women in theatre by supporting the concept that "as long as there is theatre, as long as there are women, as long as there is an imperfect society, there will be women's theatre".<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=friedman|first=Sharon|date=1984|title=feminism as theme in twentieth-century american women's drama|journal=American Studies|volume=25|issue=1|pages=69–89|issn=0026-3079|jstor=40641831}}</ref> Hrothsvitha's plays served the purpose of speaking truth to power and counterbalancing male dominance of the field.<ref name=":6" />

The significance of her plays is often overlooked because their dramaturgy diverges from what [[Sue-Ellen Case]] and [[Jill Dolan]] theorize as to the male values of good playwriting, which excluded Hrotsvitha, rather placing focus upon alternative fields, such as religion, early life, and sexuality, to name a few.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kobialka|first=M|date=2005|title=Hrotsvit of gandersheim: Contexts, identities, affinities, and performances.|journal=Theatre Research International|volume=30|issue=3|id={{ProQuest|221484211}}}}</ref>

==Translations==
[[File:Conrad Celtis (Protucius).jpg|thumb|Conrad Celtis]]
Hrotsvitha's work was largely ignored until re-discovered and edited by [[Conrad Celtis]] in the early 16th century.<ref name=":28"/> Since then many authors have taken up the work of translating and editing them.<ref name=":33">{{Cite journal|last=ZeydUOPOULUOel|first=Edwin|date=Jul 1947|title=A Chronological Hrotsvitha Bibliography through 1700 with Annotations|journal=The Journal of English and Germanic Philology|volume=46|issue=3|pages=290–294|jstor=27712888}}</ref> Often these works are filtered through the perceptions and unconscious bias of the translator.,<ref name=":110"/> It is believed {{by whom|date=January 2020}} that the naming of Hrotsvitha plays after men and not women may have been done by Celtis and not Hrotsvitha as her works largely center women and their experiences, making these titles appear inconsistent with what is presented in her work.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Spirituality and politics in the works of Hrotsvit of Gandersheim / Stephen L. Wailes.|last=Wailes|first=Stephen|publisher=Selinsgrove : Susquehanna University Press|year=2006}}</ref> It has been suggested that Celtis may have misrepresented her work due to his own implicit biases.<ref name=":08"/> While the translator [[Christabel Marshall]] appears to impose her own understandings of what a 10th-century canoness would be like or would have thought by making her seem timid in her translations.<ref name=":110" /> Katharina Wilson does a similar thing in Hrothvitha's work by translating her to seem more humble than she actually is.<ref name=":110" /> This has led some{{who|date=January 2020}} to posit that Colleen Butler is the person who best represented Hrotsvitha's work, as she discerned the true comedic nature of her work, by being able to deduce the unwritten context in the writing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stage-door.com/Theatre/2017/Entries/2017/4/9_Bisclaveret___Dulcitius.html|title=Review - Bisclaveret / Dulcitius - Pneuma Ensemble / Poculi Ludique Societas, Toronto - Christopher Hoile|website=www.stage-door.com|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref> However, while there may be some small misrepresentations of Hrothvitha's work, her message,{{clarify|date=January 2020}} and the known facts about her life remain relatively consistent.<ref name=":33" />

'''Texts and translations'''

*Winterfeld, Paul von (ed.) (1902) ''Hrotsvithae opera''. (Monumenta Germaniae Historica; SS. rer. Germanicarum) [http://www.dmgh.de/de/fs1/object/display/bsb00000736_00001.html Available from Digital MGH online].
*Strecker, Karl (ed.) (1902) ''Hrotsvithae opera''.
*Berschin, Walter (ed.). ''Hrotsvit: Opera Omnia''. [[Bibliotheca Scriptorum Graecorum et Romanorum Teubneriana]]. [[Munich]]/[[Leipzig]], 2001. {{ISBN|3-598-71912-4}}
*''Pelagius'' in Petroff, Elizabeth Alvilda, ed. (1986) ''Medieval Women's Visionary Literature'', pp 114–24. {{ISBN|0-19-503712-X}}
*''Abraham'' in Petroff, Elizabeth Alvilda, ed. (1986) ''Medieval Women's Visionary Literature'', pp 124–35. {{ISBN|0-19-503712-X}}
*''Hrotsvit von Gandersheim, Sämtliche Dichtungen''; aus dem Mittellateinischen übertragen von Otto Baumhauer, Jacob Bendixen und Theodor Gottfried Pfund; mit einer Einführung von Berg Nagel. München: Winkler, 1966.
* ''Hrotsvitha von Gandersheim''. Munich, 1973 (German translations by H. Hohmeyer).
* Hrotsvitha Gandeshemensis,  ''Gesta Ottonis Imperatoris. Lotte, drammi e trionfi nel destino di un imperatore''. A cura di Maria Pasqualina Pillolla, Firenze, SISMEL Edizioni del Galluzzo, 2003
* The Plays of Hrotswitha of Gandersheim: bilingual edition / translated by [[Larissa Bonfante]]; edited by Robert Chipok. Mundelein, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci, 2013. [Latin and English on facing pages.] {{ISBN|978-0-86516-783-4}}
*Roswitha of Gandersheim. ''[[s:Plays of Roswitha (1923)|The Plays of Roswitha]]''. Trans. Christopher St. John. London: Chatto, 1923. {{ISBN|978-1296739898}}.

==Modern-day references==
[[File:Hrotsvitha fountain Gandersheim.JPG|thumb|Hrotsvitha fountain, Gandersheim]]

* The [[asteroid]] [[615 Roswitha]] discovered in 1906 is named in her honor.
* The [[Hroswitha Club]] is an association of women [[book collector]]s founded in New York City in 1944. Members included [[Sarah Gildersleeve Fife#Advocate for women bibliophiles|co-founder]] [[Sarah Gildersleeve Fife]] and [[Frances Hooper]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Records, 1944–1999 / Hroswitha Club |url=http://grolier.vtls.com:3272/lib/item?id=chamo:58257&fromLocationLink=false&theme=grolier |access-date=March 16, 2018 |website=Grolier Club Library |publisher=[[Grolier Club]] |location=New York}}</ref> The club published ''Hroswitha of Gandersheim: Her life, times, and works'' in 1965.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hroswitha of Gandersheim : her life, times, and works, and a comprehensive bibliography / edited by Anne Lyon Haight |url=http://grolier.vtls.com:3272/lib/item?id=chamo:42080&fromLocationLink=false&theme=grolier |access-date=March 16, 2018 |website=Grolier Club Library |publisher=[[Grolier Club]] |location=New York}}</ref>
* Since 1973 [[Bad Gandersheim]] has annually awarded the [[Roswitha Prize]], named for Hrosvitha, to female writers; since 1974 the Roswitha Ring has been awarded at the close of each summer season of the [[Gandersheimer Domfestspiele]] to the outstanding actress.
* Hrotsvitha is frequently referred to in [[John Kennedy Toole]]'s 1980 comic novel ''[[A Confederacy of Dunces]]'', in which she is called Hroswitha.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zaenker |first=Karl A |title=Hrotsvit and the Moderns: Her Impact on John Kennedy Toole and Peter Hacks |year=1987 |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |pages=275–285 |language=en}}</ref>
* In 2006, American feminist drama group [[Guerrilla Girls On Tour]] issued the "First Annual Hrosvitha Challenge" on their website, announcing that they would bestow the First Annual Hrosvitha Award on whichever professional theater decides "to scrap their plans of producing yet another production of a Greek tragedy and instead produce a play by Hrosvitha, the first female playwright".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Soloski |first=Alexis |date=2009-04-02 |title=My favourite plays I've never seen |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2009/apr/02/neglected-plays |access-date=2023-09-07 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Canoness]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* {{citation | contribution = The Saxon Canoness: Hrotsvit of Gandersheim | title = Medieval Women Writers | first = Katharina M | last = Wilson | year = 1984 | publisher = Manchester University Press | location = Manchester | pages = [https://archive.org/details/medievalwomenwri00naut/page/30 30–63] | isbn = 978-0-8203-0641-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/medievalwomenwri00naut/page/30 }}.
* Croft, Susan (editor, 2019), "Paphnutius" (extract) in ''Classic Plays by Women'', London: Aurora Metro Books. {{ISBN|978-1910798782}}.

==Further reading==
*Bodarwé, Katrinette. "Hrotswit zwischen Vorbild und Phantom." In ''Gandersheim und Essen – Vergleichende Untersuchungen zu sächsischen Frauenstiften'', ed. Martin Hoernes and Hedwig Röckelein. Essen: Klartext Verlag, 2006. {{ISBN|3-89861-510-3}}.
*Cescutti, Eva. ''Hrotsvit und die Männer. Konstruktionen von Männlichkeit und Weiblichkeit im Umfeld der Ottonen''. Munich, 1998. {{ISBN|3-7705-3278-3}}.
*Düchting, R. In: ''[[Lexikon des Mittelalters]]''. vol. 5. 148–9.
*Haight, Anne Lyon, ''Hroswitha of Gandersheim; her life, times, and works, and a comprehensive bibliography''. New York: Hroswitha Club, 1965.
* Kemp-Welch, Alice, "[[s:Of Six Mediaeval Women (1913)/Roswitha|A Tenth-Century Dramatist, Roswitha the Nun]]", pp.&nbsp;1–28 in ''[[s:Of Six Mediaeval Women (1913)|Of Six Mediæval Women]]''. London: Macmillan and Co., 1913.
*Ker, William Paton. ''The Dark Ages''. Mentor Books, May 1958. pp.&nbsp;117–8.
*Licht, Tino. "Hrotsvitspuren in ottonischer Dichtung (nebst einem neuen Hrotsvitgedicht)." ''Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch''; 43 (2008) [http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/11583 pp.347–353].
*Rädle, Fidel. "Hrotsvit von Gandersheim." In ''Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters. Verfasserlexikon''; 4 (1983). pp.&nbsp;196–210.

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
{{Commons category|Hrotsvitha}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/roswitha-of-gandersheim/plays/christopher-st-john|Display Name=An omnibus collection of Hrotsvitha's plays|noitalics=true}}
* {{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle= Hroswitha |volume=7 |first=Nikolaus |last=Scheid}}
* {{Citation | url = http://www.valpo.edu/home/staff/kinnes/medieval/hroswitha.html | type = biography | title = The Prodigal Daughter Project | publisher = Valpo | contribution = Hroswitha | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030506183405/http://www.valpo.edu/home/staff/kinnes/medieval/hroswitha.html | archive-date = 6 May 2003 | df = dmy-all }}.
* {{Citation | contribution-url = http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~harsch/hro_intr.html | contribution = Latin Entries | title = Bibliotheca Augustana | publisher = FH Augsburg | place = [[Germany|DE]]| title-link = Bibliotheca Augustana }}.
* {{Citation | url = http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/hrotsvit.html | title = Hrotsvit | last = Disse | first = D | publisher = Infi online | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050901055253/http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/hrotsvit.html | archive-date = 1 September 2005 | df = dmy-all }}.  Very good site about "Other Women's Voices" with links (Engl.)
* {{Citation | url = http://www.storiamedievale.net/personaggi/rosvita.htm | type = article | language = it | title = Personaggi | publisher = Storia medievale | contribution = Rosvita | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050307003635/http://www.storiamedievale.net/personaggi/rosvita.htm | archive-date = 7 March 2005 | df = dmy-all }} with pictures.
* {{Citation | contribution-url = http://www.guerrillagirlsontour.com/pages/icon_monkey_award.html | title = Guerrilla Girls On Tour | contribution = First Annual Hrosvitha Award | title-link = Guerrilla Girls On Tour | access-date = 11 December 2006 | archive-date = 8 December 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061208052702/http://www.guerrillagirlsontour.com/pages/icon_monkey_award.html | url-status = dead }}.
* {{Citation | url = http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/30_10_0930-1002-_Hrorshitha_Gandersheimensis.html | contribution = Opera Omnia | title = Migne Patrologia Latina}} with analytical indexes.
* {{Citation | url = https://archive.org/details/hrosvithaelibert00hrot | title = Liber tertius | year = 1943 | type = text, translation, and commentary | publisher = Archive}}.
* {{Citation | url = https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Plays_of_Roswitha_(1923) | title = The Plays of Roswitha | type = text, translation, and commentary |author1=  Hrotsvitha |author2=St. John, Christopher  | publisher = Chatto & Windus, London 1923}}

{{Medieval women writers}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hrosvitha}}
[[Category:930s births]]
[[Category:973 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:German women historians]]
[[Category:10th-century German women writers]]
[[Category:10th-century German historians]]
[[Category:10th-century writers in Latin]]
[[Category:Christian hagiographers]]
[[Category:German dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:German women dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:10th-century German poets]]
[[Category:German women poets]]
[[Category:Medieval dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Medieval women poets]]
[[Category:People from Bad Gandersheim]]