Women's Writing Before Woolf: A Social Reference/Josephine A. Roberts

Josephine A. Roberts (born 11th November,1948) was an American author, scholar and professor of English. She was the William A. Read Professor of English at Louisiana State University and was a major figure in renaissance scholarship and the works of Lady Mary Wroth. She was one of the original founders of the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and was a member of the research board for the Women Writers Project. Known for her contributions to the Women’s writing and Renaissance fields, she received several awards and contributions for her work including the Founders Award from the Society for the study of Early Modern Women in 1994 and the LSU Foundation Distinguished Faculty award in 1989.

Roberts graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975 with a PhD and began teaching in the Department of English at Louisiana State University. She went on to publish a variety of works but her most notable works was her compilation and annotation of the Poems of Mary Wroth and The First Part of the Countess of Montgomery’s Urania.

Roberts died on the 26th of August 1998 in an automobile accident. In her legacy, the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women created the Josephine Roberts Award for a Scholarly Edition and the Louisiana State University established the Josephine A. Roberts Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation Award in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Early Life
Josephine Anastasia Roberts (Josephine Gaines, Josephine Roberts Gaines) was born on the 11th of November 1948 in Richmond, Virginia. She was born to mother Anastasia Luety and Father John Roberts. She attended Thomas Jefferson High school. She went on to study at the College of William and Mary in 1970 where she graduated magna cum laude. She received her masters and doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975. That same year, Roberts married Foreign Language Professor, James Frederick Gaines on the 19th of July, in Richmond, Virginia. Together they had one son, John Gaines.

Academic Work
After receiving her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania with her dissertation titled, “Architectonic Knowledge in the New Arcadia (1590): Sidney’s Use of the Epic Journey”, Roberts began employment as an English Professor at Louisiana State University. Her studies in renaissance scholarship, Shakespeare, Sir Phillip Sydney and Lady Mary Wroth increased her reputation as a scholar. This led to Roberts receiving a multitude of awards, including the South-Central Modern Language Association and Newberry Library Fellowship in 1988, the American Philosophical Society Fellowship in 1988 and the LSU Foundation Distinguished Faculty Award in 1989. In 1991, Roberts was awarded the distinguished title of the William A. Read Professorship in English and held the title until her death in 1996.

Society Work
Roberts was one of the founders of the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women in 1993, alongside Georgianna Ziegler, Elizabeth Hageman, Jane Donawerth and Margaret Hannay, who wanted to establish an organization that discussed early modern women scholarship and provided opportunities for young scholars. Roberts served as the chair for the Nominating Committee of the Organization Committee, where she accepted suggestions from the organizing committee and prepared a slate of nominations to be presented to those who became charter Members at the 1994 Inaugural Celebration. After Roberts' death in 1996, the Society established the Josephine Roberts Award for a Scholarly Edition in 1998, which is still utilized in 2022. In 2000, the Society presented the five founders, including Roberts, with the Founders Award, which celebrated the “pioneering achievements… vision and intellectual contributions… hard work and persistence” of the founders.

Roberts was also involved in other projects, including the Women Writers Project. Roberts was a long-time supporter of the project and served as a member of the Research Board.

Death
On the 26th of August 1996, Roberts was killed in an automobile accident in Louisiana, Virginia. Both Roberts and her son, John Gaines, 14, were driving home when her car was struck when “a runaway, open-body utility trailer…careened across the Interstate 12 median into oncoming traffic.” She was taken to the Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead 90 minutes after the accident. Her son, while injured, survived. She is buried at the Greenoaks Memorial Park in Louisiana, Virginia.

Roberts’s death impacted many people around her, particularly her colleagues. LSU English Department Chairman, J. Gerald Kennedy said, “She was also a superb teacher and an exemplary, gracious colleague whose loss to this department and to the university is devastating.”

Legacy
Roberts' significant contributions to her field and her reputation as a reputable scholar saw many awards created in her honor after her death. She was honored by the Louisiana State University with the creation of the Josephine A. Roberts Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation Award in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Likewise, the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women created the Josephine Roberts Award for a Scholarly Edition which has since awarded over 22 awards.

Roberts' contributions to her field have also left behind a legacy. A special award was granted to Suzanne Gossett and Janel Mueller for completing the edition of The Second Part of the Countess of Montgomery’s Urania by Lady Mary Wroth, originally began by Josephine Roberts. Roberts' work on Lady Mary Wroth still makes up a large aspect of the current scholarship scholarship. Roberts is continuously credited within scholarship. She continues to be honored in books, articles and projects alike, such as Sigrid King’s book, “Pilgrimage for Love: Essays in Early Modern Literature in Honor of Josephine A. Roberts”