Poetesses at the turn of 19th and 20th century

Whereas the Czech prose written by women in the 19th century was a notable and constituent part of literary life, Czech female poetry distinctly dropped behind. This situation did not change at the turn of the 19th and 20th century when Czech literature written by women struggled to find its inherent expression. Poetesses were mostly under the influence of the conventional standards established by "echo" (ohlasova) poetry, and only found their way towards modern expression with difficulty. The essay displays this situation in the works of Ruzena Jesenska and Tereza Dubrovska. It also shows the original value of the poetry written by Bozena Benesova, whose poems - mostly unpublished in books during her lifetime represent genuine poetic value.