Representing Women's Authority In The Early Modern World

Representing Women’s Authority in the Early Modern World explores the myriad ways in which early modern women’s lives and literature were shaped by the interconnected concepts of authority and morality. This essay collection studies the nuances and complexities of early modern women’s lived experiences and writing, reaching beyond disciplinary, geographical, and political boundaries. The discussion is located in a wide context of European society and acknowledges the high degree of cultural exchange between countries during the early modern period. Geographically, the essays focus on a range of locales, including France, Germany, Spain (and its Empire), Italy, the Low Countries, and Ireland. In subject matter, the ten essays contained herein discuss women of diverse social classes and at varied life stages, ranging from prosecuted witches to revered saints and from influential patrons to exiled nuns. In approach, the volume endeavours to cross disciplinary boundaries and to highlight continuities between women’s lives and literature in the early modern world.