Half Humankind: Contexts and Texts of the Controversy about Women in England, 1540-1640Half Humankind is the first study to provide modernized and annotated editions of the key documents from the controversy about women in Renaissance England. The selections -- ten treatises debating the merits of womankind and six eulogies and condemnations depicting actual women -- range in style from careful logic and studied eloquence to ribald humor and witty parody. Illuminated by an extensive discussion tying the selections to Renaissance society and traditional literature, this volume is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of literature, history, and women's studies. |
Contents
THE DEBATE ABOUT WOMEN | 3 |
THE SOCIAL CONTEXTS | 47 |
Eulogies and Condemnations | 63 |
Women and Marriage | 72 |
Women and Education | 81 |
THE LITERARY CONTEXTS | 99 |
A Note on Editorial Policy | 133 |
women by Joseph Swetnam 1615 | 189 |
A Pattern for Women by John Mayer 1619 | 335 |
The Honor of Virtue 1620 | 344 |
The Arraignment and burning of Margaret Ferneseede | 352 |
A pitiless Mother 1616 | 361 |
The Wonderful Discovery of the Witchcrafts of Margaret | 369 |
| 381 | |
| 387 | |
Monodia by Joshua Sylvester 1594 | 328 |
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Common terms and phrases
amongst anthology antifeminist Arraignment attacks Bawdy Court Bearbaiting beauty behavior Ben Jonson cause chaste chastity Christine de Pisan classical clothing conduct books controversy Crashaw daughter death deceive defense defense of women delight devil doth dress Elizabeth England English Renaissance eulogies Euripides evil example fair female feminine feminist Ferneseede fool froward Gosynhill grace Greek Haec Vir hath heart Hic Mulier holy honor husband idle Jane Anger Joan Jonson Joseph Swetnam Juniper Lecture Lady lascivious lewd live London lust maid male Margaret marriage married masculine middle-class misogynistic misogyny Mistress mother Mulier Munda nature never pamphlets poem poet poetry praise Rachel Speght religious Roman saith Schoolhouse scold seductress sexual shame shrew Sir Seldom Sober sonnet soul Sowernam Tattlewell thee things Thomas Becon Thomas Dekker thou tion tongue treatises unto virtue virtuous Volpone wanton widow wife wives woman words worthy write young