This original work explores the intellectual development of the eighteenth century German upper middle-class woman through her stages as reader, writer, and editor. It traces this progression by looking closely at three publications: Gottsched"s moral weekly Die Vernünftigen Tadlerinnen; Jacobi and Heinse"s literary journal Iris; and Sophie von la Roche"s literary journal Pomona. Für Teutschlands Töchter. This analysis reveals that, contrary to the beliefs of many contemporary feminists, the eighteenth century German woman made significant contributions toward the intellectual emancipation of women.