Dismantling the myth of “mad madge”: the cultural context of Margaret Cavendish's authorial self-presentation

ISSN： 0969-9082

Source： Women's Writing, Vol.4, Iss.3, 1997-10, pp. : 323-340

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Abstract

This study aims to show how Margaret Cavendish's unprecedentedly self-affirming stance as a woman author is enabled by factors associated with her position as a displaced royalist during the 1650s. Her publication is initially catalysed by contact with royalist literary production in Interregnum London. Meanwhile, the setbacks suffered by her exiled husband provide one of a number of contexts in which her attention-seeking approach to publication might be construed as a form of legitimate self-display. The literature of feminine conduct also posits a connection between women's display and the maintenance of aristocratic authority rendered so vital for the wider body of royalists by their current political predicament. Even Cavendish's forthright statements of a desire for fame need not be seen to transgress feminine modesty if we regard her as drawing on the topical representational tradition of the femme forte . Nevertheless, the changes in post-Restoration royalist culture necessitate alterations in her powerfully self-assertive authorial image.