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Virtuous necessity : conduct literature and the making of the virtuous woman in early modern England / Jessica C. Murphy.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Murphy, Jessica (Jessica C.)
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- English literature--Early modern, 1500-1700--History and criticism.
- English literature.
- Women and literature--England--History.
- Women and literature.
- Women--England--Conduct of life.
- Women.
- Conduct of life in literature.
- Virtue in literature.
- Social values in literature.
- Women in literature.
- Didactic literature, English--History and criticism.
- Didactic literature, English.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (191 p.)
- Other Title:
- Conduct literature and the making of the virtuous woman in early modern England
- Place of Publication:
- Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, [2015]
- Language Note:
- English
- Summary:
- "While many scholars find the early modern triad of virtues for women--silence, chastity, and obedience--to be straightforward and nonnegotiable, Jessica C. Murphy demonstrates that these virtues were by no means as direct and inflexible as they might seem. Drawing on the literature of the period--from the plays of Shakespeare to a conduct manual written for a princess to letters from a wife to her husband--as well as contemporary gender theory and philosophy, she uncovers the multiple meanings of behavioral expectations for sixteenth- and seventeenth-century women. Through her renegotiation of cultural ideals as presented in both literary and nonliterary texts of early modern England, Murphy presents models for "acceptable" women's conduct that lie outside of the rigid prescriptions of the time. Virtuous Necessity will appeal to readers interested in early modern English literature, including canonical authors such as Shakespeare, Spenser, and Milton, as well as their female contemporaries such as Amelia Lanyer and Elizabeth Cary. It will also appeal to scholars of conduct literature; of early modern drama, popular literature, poetry, and prose; of women's history; and of gender theory"-- Provided by publisher.
- Contents:
- The Paradox of Chastity
- " Honest Government": Feminine Virtue's Network of Influence in Early Modern England
- Contradiction and Counter-Magic: Advice to Women on Shakespeare's Stage
- Virtue in Early Modern Women's Advice
- "Advice to the Ladies of London": Feminine Virtue in English Broadside Ballads
- Epilogue.
- Notes:
- Description based upon print version of record.
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 155-170) and index.
- Description based on information from the publisher.
- ISBN:
- 9780472121090
- 047212109X
- OCLC:
- 922562869
- Publisher Number:
- 10.3998/mpub.7685052
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