Early twentieth century criticism of Italian literature often treats the work of women playwrights as insignificant, reducing their theatrical texts to the trivial and non-political. Contemporary critics of the time, such as Benedetto Croce acknowledge the effort made by these women, but fail to recognize their talent or contribution to Italian literature in general, and women’s literature specifically. This project looks at the critical reception of Amelia Pincherle Rosselli’s theatrical works, along with the political climate of the times, and the contributions made by this playwright to the development of a female literary voice. Within this thesis, I examine the presence and trace the evolution of the female figure in Rosselli’s works, as well as the feminist perspective though a theory of theft and reappropriation by Adriana Cavarero. This theory, laid out in her text, In Spite of Plato, allows me to rewrite Pincherle Rosselli’s female protagonists in terms of a revised social order that places women at its center. Modern Italian philosophical discourse on equality and difference, with theorists such as Cavarero and Luisa Muraro at the forefront, allows for a new reading and contemporary re-thinking about these often disregarded or forgotten works and their protagonists. This project makes two significant contributions to the field of literature. First, it draws significant attention to a neglected and undervalued genre, therefore seeking to fill a gap in the history of women’s literature (specifically in Italian theatre) between Italian Unification and the rise of Fascism. Second, and more specifically, it focuses on the issues associated with defining the female voice and figure during the first wave of the Women’s Movement in Italy, occurring at the same time.