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Olympe on Writing and Plagiarism

10/2/2019

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Although we know that Olympe spent much time protesting that she wrote her own books, and also that she was ignorant but that nature itself spoke through her, this passage, from the preface of Le Philosophe Corrigé ou le Cocu Supposé shows how she also turned the tables on her critiques to accuse them - more or less - of plagiarism. 
I am the student of nature. I have said so before, and I repeat it now, I owe nothing to the science of men. I am my work and when I compose, there is nothing on my table but ink, paper, and pens. Very often I have bad secretaries who multiply my mistakes instead of correcting them. These are the useful resources that adorn my productions. 
I know that it would be easy to procure all sorts of works, that I could, if I wanted to, summarize, and instead of composing with my own imagination, use others' ideas, turn the corners of every page, then arrange to my advantage this hotchpotch, if only I knew how to print! There are very few paintings now, but so many printers! It would be quite reckless of me to unveil their games, if it were not a well-known truth. But I aspire to originality, without doubt, and this cannot be disputed since I owe it to my ignorance. I like to boast about it high and low, and you, gentlemen imitators, whose frozen style cools the heart without warming the spirit, leave me that dear ignorance which is my sole merit, and which guarantees me much indulgence for the mistakes that pepper my productions, and much praise for the beauty that is sometimes found in them; and do not dispute the ownership of my writings. 

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  • Home
  • Liberty in thy name!
  • The Philosophy of Domesticity
    • The Home: A Philosophical Project
  • Women Philosophers Calendars
  • Research
  • Public Philosophy
  • Events
    • Wollstonecraft at Bilkent
    • Bridging the Gender Gap Through Time
    • Wollapalooza
    • Wollapalooza II
  • Historical zombies and other fiction
  • Teaching
  • Crafts and things
  • Feminist History of Philosophy