Abstract

A text written by a women is not obviously a feminist one. Feminist writers use different ways to express their orientation in their writings. In the case of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1815-1852), we consider that her texts are feminist. Mainly because they are intended for women readers, but also because, in addition to explaining the status of women in the nineteenth century, they vehicle a message of liberation from the clichés that a patriarchal society has imposed upon them. Because of her childhood and the religious education she had, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps' feminist approach is very faltering and she never follows her ideas through. We notice that even when she encourages women to handle their intellectual life, she tries not to shock the society. In that context, we wondered how to translate the two novels we worked on, "The Cloudy Morning" and "The Angel over the Right Shoulder". Should we take into consideration the author's faltering steps toward feminism? Or should we choose to do a feminist translation and turn Elizabeth Stuart Phelps into a revolutionary and pioneer in feminist literature? Before answering these questions we will define feminine and feminist writings, their goal and their role in the society. We will also show how feminist translators and theorists take up these questions. Finally, we will present our translation. We translated "The Cloudy Morning" and "The Angel Over the Right Shoulder", keeping in mind the women who was Elizabeth Stuart Phelps.