A Voice of Her Own: Gérard d'Houville's Thread and Literary Tradition

The novelist and poet Gérard d'Houville was one of the most decorated women writers of the early twentieth century, although she is primarily remembered today as the daughter of José-Maria de Heredia. This relationship shaped her critical reception and contributed to the current neglect of her work. Contemporary readers, however, will appreciate how, despite her status as a literary daughter, she was able to define her own poetic identity by taking a penname and seeking out connections with a female tradition. D'Houville's woman-centered poetry offers an alternative to the male-authored literary tradition represented by her father. She finds a voice of her own by speaking to and for her forgotten Creole grandmothers and women from classical mythology whose voices have been silenced or repressed.