Read
1. “Gender Relations”
3. “Selected Writings” by Margaret Cavendish
4. “Selected Poems” by Katherine Philips
Discussion 7: Many Lives, Many Masters
Suzannah Lipscomb, in the video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=33&v=BkyVsHw34-k&feature=emb_title , gives a brief overview of the way women, and women’s bodies, were perceived during the Middle Ages and Early Modern period. In what way does what she is saying in the video connect with the texts you have read so far in the course (including “Gender Relations”)? How might this perception have affected the writing style and voice of the authors you will be reading in this module? After you have answered these general questions, choose one of the following to respond to as well:
1. Joseph Swetnam’s Arraignment provoked the response by Rachel Speght in Muzzle. Summarize and evaluate each argument for its rhetorical effectiveness (in terms of ethos, logos, and pathos). Who is the audience? Which was more effective and why?
2. William Gouge’s manual Of Domesticall Duties is a “conduct book” common to the Tudor and Stuart periods; in this case, offering advice for marital life. What is Gouge’s main argument and is it well-supported? What does this text tell us about the evolving institution of marriage and the role of women in 17th century England?
Discussion 8: Women at the Margins
The four women whose writings you have read this module (Speght, Lanyer, Cavendish and Philips) are all writing in very different styles and genres. Does anything bind their works together? Is there the suggestion of a common experience here? In terms of critical acclaim, Katherine Philips was the most respected of these writers among her contemporaries – why do you think this is? What, if anything, makes her poems different from others in this module? After answering these general questions, please select two from the list below:
1. Research a bit on Amelia Lanyer as a possible author of Shakespeare’s works (this is a good place to start). What evidence points to this possibility? Do you find it convincing? Why/why not?
2. Margaret Cavendish was undoubtedly an eccentric and flamboyant figure of her day; did this detract from her writings or is this the very reason we remember her today?
3. Katherine Philips’ “A Married State” humorously praises the life of the unmarried (she reportedly wrote it at age 14), “The Double Marriage of King Charles” is a political assault on anti-royalists, while her poems to Hector are testaments to the pain of child loss which was quite common in her day. Where is she most effective – as a satirist, polemicist or memoirist?
Read
1. “Contexts: The Wider World” by various writers
2. Oroonoko by Aphra Behn
3. Gulliver’s Travels (PartI, “A Voyage to Lilliput” and Part IV, “A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms”) by Jonathan Swift
4. The Interesting Narrative of the Life by Olaudah Equiano
5. Writing Project 3: Assignment
Discussion 9: The Wider World
After reading the “Contexts: The Wider World,” which of the texts seems the most important and why? How are the descriptions of other cultures influenced by English society/customs and expectations? What stereotypes seem prevalent here? Which do you think still live with us today? After answering these general questions, please select at least 3 from the list below:
1. What is Richard Hakluyt’s purpose in assembling and editing The Principle Navigations? What arguments does he make to support this purpose?
2. In The Geographical History of Africa, Leo Africanus describes the negative and positive attributions of North Africans (“Barberie”) – what are these? In what ways are his depictions of Africans still relevant today?
3. Thomas Hariot’s Report on Virginia has been described as a “complex, unsettling Elizabethan travel narrative.” What about it is “unsettling” and what about it is “complex”?
4. Michel de Montaigne’s essay “On Cannibals” is considered to be one of the first arguments based on the idea of “Cultural Relativism” (click for a definition). In what ways is this so and do you agree with his argument? Why/why not?
5. Why do you think Rowlandson’s work accepted for publication even though it was unusual for women to be permitted publication in Puritan New England?
Discussion 10: Reckoning with the Past and Imagining the Future
After completing all the readings for this module, what, in your opinion, is the most important legacy of British colonialism? Which of the major three readings (by Behn, Swift and Equiano) was the most significant to you and why? Finally, as this is our last discussion, which of the readings this semester has been the most relevant or meaningful to you and why?
Read
1.
”
Gender
Relations
”
2.
Salve
Deus
Rex
Judaeoru
m
3.
”
Selected
Writings
”
by
Margaret
Cavendis
h
4.
”
Selected
Poems
”
by
Kat
herine
Philip
s
Discussion
7:
Many
Lives,
Many
Masters
Suzannah
Lipscomb,
in
the
video
link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=33&v=BkyVsHw34
–
k&feature=emb_title
,
gives
a
brief
overview
of
the
way
women,
and
women’s
bodies,
were
perceived
during
the
Middle
Ages
and
Early
Modern
period.
In
what
way
does
what
she
is
saying
in
the
video
connect
with
the
texts
you
have
read
so
far
in
the
course
(including
“Gender
Relations”)?
How
might
this
perception
have
affected
the
writing
style
and
voice
of
the
authors
you
will
be
reading
in
this
module?
After
you
have
answered
these
general
questions,
choose
one
of
the
following
to
respond
to
as
well:
1.
Joseph
Swetnam’s
Arr
aignment
provoked
the
response
by
Rachel
Speght
in
Muzzle
.
Summarize
and
evaluate
each
argument
for
its
rhetorical
effectiveness
(in
terms
of
ethos,
logos,
and
pathos).
Who
is
the
audience?
Which
was
more
effective
and
why?
2.
William
Gouge’s
manual
Of
Dom
esticall
Duties
is
a
“conduct
book”
common
to
the
Tudor
and
Stuart
periods;
in
this
case,
offering
advice
for
marital
life.
What
is
Gouge’s
main
argument
and
is
it
well
–
supported?
What
does
this
text
tell
us
about
the
evolving
institution
of
marriage
and
the
role
of
wome
n
in
17th
century
England?
Discussion
8:
Women
at
the
Margins
The
four
women
whose
writings
you
have
read
this
m
odule
(Speght,
Lanyer,
Cavendish
and
Philips)
are
all
writing
in
very
different
styles
and
genres.
Does
anything
bind
their
works
together?
Is
there
the
suggestion
of
a
common
experience
here?
In
terms
of
critical
acclaim,
Katherine
Philips
was
the
most
re
spected
of
these
writers
among
her
contemporaries
–
why
do
you
think
this
is?
What,
if
anything,
makes
her
poems
different
from
others
in
this
module?
After
answering
these
general
questions,
please
select
two
from
the
list
below:
1.
Research
a
b
it
on
Amelia
Lanyer
as
a
possible
author
of
Shakespeare’s
works
(
this
is
a
good
place
to
start).
What
evidence
points
to
this
possibility
?
Do
you
find
it
convincing?
Why/why
not?
2.
Margaret
Cavendish
was
undoubtedly
an
eccentric
and
flamboyant
figure
of
her
day;
did
this
detract
from
her
writings
or
is
this
the
very
reason
we
remember
her
today?
3.
Katherine
Philips’
“A
Married
State”
humorously
praises
the
life
of
the
unmarried
(she
reportedly
wrote
it
at
age
14),
“The
Double
Marriage
of
King
Charles”
is
a
political
assault
on
anti
–
royalists,
while
her
poems
to
Hector
are
testaments
to
the
pain
o
f
child
loss
which
was
quite
common
in
her
day.
Where
is
she
most
effective
–
as
a
satirist,
polemicist
or
memoirist?
Read
1. “Gender Relations”
2. Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum
3. “Selected Writings” by Margaret Cavendish
4. “Selected Poems” by Katherine Philips
Discussion 7: Many Lives, Many Masters
Suzannah Lipscomb, in the video
link https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=33&v=BkyVsHw34-k&feature=emb_title,
gives a brief overview of the way women, and women’s bodies, were perceived during the
Middle Ages and Early Modern period. In what way does what she is saying in the video
connect with the texts you have read so far in the course (including “Gender Relations”)?
How might this perception have affected the writing style and voice of the authors you will
be reading in this module? After you have answered these general questions, choose one of
the following to respond to as well:
1. Joseph Swetnam’s Arraignment provoked the response by Rachel Speght in Muzzle.
Summarize and evaluate each argument for its rhetorical effectiveness (in terms of ethos,
logos, and pathos). Who is the audience? Which was more effective and why?
2. William Gouge’s manual Of Domesticall Duties is a “conduct book” common to the
Tudor and Stuart periods; in this case, offering advice for marital life. What is
Gouge’s main argument and is it well-supported? What does this text tell us about the
evolving institution of marriage and the role of women in 17th century England?
Discussion 8: Women at the Margins
The four women whose writings you have read this module (Speght, Lanyer, Cavendish
and Philips) are all writing in very different styles and genres. Does anything bind their
works together? Is there the suggestion of a common experience here? In terms of critical
acclaim, Katherine Philips was the most respected of these writers among her
contemporaries – why do you think this is? What, if anything, makes her poems different
from others in this module? After answering these general questions, please select two from
the list below:
1. Research a bit on Amelia Lanyer as a possible author of Shakespeare’s works (this is a
good place to start). What evidence points to this possibility? Do you find it convincing?
Why/why not?
2. Margaret Cavendish was undoubtedly an eccentric and flamboyant figure of her day; did
this detract from her writings or is this the very reason we remember her today?
3. Katherine Philips’ “A Married State” humorously praises the life of the unmarried (she
reportedly wrote it at age 14), “The Double Marriage of King Charles” is a political assault
on anti-royalists, while her poems to Hector are testaments to the pain of child loss which
was quite common in her day. Where is she most effective – as a
satirist, polemicist or memoirist?
