Did Women Have a Renaissance?

Catalog description

Surveys the major literary movements of the Renaissance through texts written by women. As we learn about uniquely early modern forms, including sonnets, romances, and closet dramas, we will consider how women innovate or conform to genres that were dominated by men. Assigned readings include a number of “firsts” in England. We will discuss works by Isabella Whitney, the first woman to make writing her profession, Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England by herself for over forty years, and Aphra Behn, one of the first women to write for the public stage. Throughout the course, we will challenge the periodization of the Renaissance by considering if this term accurately captures women’s literary achievements.