This entry surveys the emerging field of early modern trans studies, including its current and potential applications in the study of women’s writing. Beginning with an overview of trans theory, it outlines recent efforts to uncover trans narratives in the pre- and early modern past, situating such efforts within the contemporary political project of trans liberation. By rejecting gender binaries and gender essentialism, trans theory also prompts critical assessment of the category of “women writers.” This entry therefore argues that trans theory has the potential to shift and expand studies of women’s writing, while revealing the need for capacious and intersectional views of gender identity.