God's Englishwomen: Seventeenth-century Radical Sectarian Writing and Feminist CriticismGod's Englishwomen investigates the writings of women in the radical sects of the seventeenth century through the lens of feminist literary criticism. It confirms the significance of these remarkable texts for contemporary literary studies and contributes to the dialogue between feminism and Renaissance studies. Hilary Hinds introduces readers to new primary sources and presents them in a relevant and accessible way to the twentieth-century reader. This book offers a detailed study of the spiritual autobiographies and prophecies produced by Quaker, Baptist and Fifth Monarchist women, and asks how such a proliferation of texts was produced in a culture dismissive of women's writing. Each chapter introduces new material through a discussion of existing critical and theoretical work on the gendering of authors, texts and readers respectively. Finally, the appendices reproduce substantial selections from previously unavailable seventeenth-century texts discussed in the book. |
Contents
the bodies and souls | 18 |
silences in radical sectarian | 51 |
the disappearing author | 80 |
language practice writing and gender | 108 |
responses to sectarian womens | 146 |
readings of Priscilla Cotton | 180 |
Editorial note | 211 |
from A Message from God By a Dumb Woman 1654 | 219 |
A relation concerning Dorothy Waughs cruel usage | 227 |
241 | |
258 | |
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God's Englishwomen: Seventeenth-century Radical Sectarian Writing and ... Hilary Hinds Limited preview - 1996 |
Common terms and phrases
Anna Trapnel Aphra Behn argues argument author-figure authorship Bauman Bible biblical body canon Cary century Chapter characterisation Christ Christopher Hill church Cole's concern consciences constructed contemporary context Corinthians Cotton and Cole critics cultural debates dialogue discourse discussed divine example female femininity feminist feminist literary criticism Fifth Monarchist Foucault gender God's godly hath hostile husband inner light instrument interpretation Jane Turner Jesus John Turner justification language linguistic literary Lord manifestation Mary Cary Mary Mollineux meanings metaphorical narrative notion particular persecution plain style polemic political poststructuralism poststructuralist preaching priests produced prophecies prophets Puritan Purkiss Quaker question radical sects reader reading reference relation relationship religious Scriptures sectaries seen sense seventeenth seventeenth-century women sexual significance silence social soul speak specific spiritual autobiographies structure suggests textual thereby things thou tion truth Turner ungendered Vokins weakness Wentworth 1677 Whilst woman words written