1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910154687803321

Autore

Osherow Michele

Titolo

Biblical women's voices in early modern England / / Michele Osherow

Pubbl/distr/stampa

London : , : Routledge, , 2016

ISBN

1-351-95539-X

1-315-26155-3

1-351-95540-3

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (202 pages) : illustrations

Collana

Women and Gender in the Early Modern World

Disciplina

274.2/06082

Soggetti

Protestant women - England - Language - History

Language and languages - Religious aspects - Protestant churches - History of doctrines

Women in the Bible - History and criticism

Hebrew poetry, Biblical - History and criticism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

First published 2009 by Ashgate Publishing.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

1. "Should she not be ashamed?" : constructing Mary Sidney as a Renaissance Miriam -- 2. "My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies" : Hannah and the consequence of private prayer -- 3. "Give ear o princes" : Deborah as a model for female authority -- 4. "Naked against the enemy" : the feminization of David.

Sommario/riassunto

Biblical Women's Voices in Early Modern England documents the extent to which portrayals of women writers, rulers, and leaders in the Hebrew Bible scripted the lives of women in early modern England. Attending to a broad range of writing by Protestant men and women, including John Donne, Mary Sidney, John Milton, Rachel Speght, and Aemilia Lanyer, the author investigates how the cultural requirement for feminine silence informs early modern readings of biblical women's stories, and furthermore, how these biblical characters were used to counteract cultural constraints on women's speech. Bringing to bear a commanding knowledge of Hebrew Scripture, Michele Osherow presents a series of case studies on biblical heroines, juxtaposing Old Testament stories with early modern writers and texts. The case studies include an investigation of references to Miriam in Lady Mary Sidney's



psalm translations; an unpacking of comparisons between Deborah and Elizabeth I; and, importantly, a consideration of the feminization of King David through analysis of his appropriation as a model for early modern women in writings by both male and female authors. In deciphering the abundance of biblical characters, citations, and allusions in early modern texts, Osherow simultaneously demonstrates how biblical stories of powerful women challenged the Renaissance notion that women should be silent, and explores the complexities and contradictions surrounding early modern women, their speech, and their power.