From the exemplary to the notorious to the obscure, this comprehensive and innovative encyclopedia showcases the worthy women of early modern England. Poets, princesses, or pirates, the women of power and agency found in these pages are indeed worth knowing, and this volume will introduce many female figures to even the most established scholars in early modern studies. Rather than using the conventional alphabetical format of the standard biographical encyclopedia, this volume is divided into categories of women. Since many women will fit in more than one category, each woman is placed in the category that best exemplifies her life, and is cross referenced in other appropriate sections. This structure makes the book an interesting read for seasoned scholars of early modern women, while students need not already be familiar with these subjects in order to benefit from the text. Another unusual feature of this reference work is that each entry begins with some incident from the woman's life that is particularly exciting or significant. Some entries are very brief while others are extensive. Each includes a source listing. The book is well illustrated and liberally sprinkled with quotations of the time either by or about the women in the text.
About the AuthorCarole Levin is Willa Cather Professor of History and Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at the University of Nebraska, USA.
Anna Riehl Bertolet is Associate Professor of English at Auburn University, USA.
Jo Eldridge Carney is Professor of English at The College of New Jersey, USA.
Reviews"The encyclopedia is truly a collaborative effort, one that feels momentous: a crystillization of the maturity of the field and the range and extent of its activity [...] In sum, the amazing diversity of women's activities and undertaking documented, in greater or lesser detail, in the Biographical Encyclopedia more than makes up for any inconveniences the volume presents. One cannot help but finish even a perusal of its contents without being struck by the rich world of different presented here. And once striken, one will surely return for more."
- Patricia Phillippy, Kingston University London, Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Book InformationISBN 9780367882532
Author Carole LevinFormat Paperback
Page Count 630
Imprint RoutledgePublisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 1240g
