Of Chastity and Power
Elizabethan Literature and the Unmarried Queen
Published on 2. September 2003
216 pages
978-1-134-93412-6 (ISBN)
Description
Elizabeth I was one of the most powerful women rulers in European history. What can feminism reveal about the attitudes of her male subjects towards this enigmatic figure?
Through readings of key Elizabethan texts by Lyly, Ralegh, Chapman, Shakespeare, and Spenser, Philippa Berry shows that while Elizabeth's combination of chastity with political and religious power was repeatedly idealized, it was also perceived as extremely disturbing. The figure of the unmarried queen implicitly challenged the masculine focus of Renaissance discourses of love, philosophy and absolutist political ideology.
In her exploration of the potent combination of themes of sexuality and politics with classical myth and Neoplatonic mysticism, Berry offers a radical reassessment of the status of `woman' as a bearer of meaning within Renaissance literature and culture.
Through readings of key Elizabethan texts by Lyly, Ralegh, Chapman, Shakespeare, and Spenser, Philippa Berry shows that while Elizabeth's combination of chastity with political and religious power was repeatedly idealized, it was also perceived as extremely disturbing. The figure of the unmarried queen implicitly challenged the masculine focus of Renaissance discourses of love, philosophy and absolutist political ideology.
In her exploration of the potent combination of themes of sexuality and politics with classical myth and Neoplatonic mysticism, Berry offers a radical reassessment of the status of `woman' as a bearer of meaning within Renaissance literature and culture.
Reviews / Votes
`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review
`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality
`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey
` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review
`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
File size
8,41 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-134-93412-6 (9781134934126)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Content
Introduction 1 Mirrors of masculinity: Renaissance speculations through the feminine and their genealogy 2 A curious conjunction: discourses of love and political power in the French Renaissance 3 Three-personed queen: the courtly cult of Elizabeth I and its Subjects 4 Carnival at court: contests for authority in Elizabethan aristocratic pastimes 5 Chastity and the power of interior spaces: Lyly's alternative view of Elizabethan courtiership 6 Rewriting chastity: representations of the unmarried queen by Chapman, Shakespeare, Ralegh, and Spenser
