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Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not
used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad
quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are
images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to
keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the
original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain
imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made
available for future generations to enjoy.
90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books
‘I had rather die in the adventure of noble achievements, than live in
obscure and sluggish security’
In 1666, Margaret Cavendish had a vision: there was a crack in reality
at the North Pole leading to a utopian parallel universe, where gender
roles, scientific orthodoxy and political norms had been razed to the
ground. She slipped through the portal and returned with the first
science fiction novel in English – an explosive account of the Blazing
World.
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The Blazing World (Hardcover)
Margaret Cavendish; Contributions by Mint Editions
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When a young woman is shipwrecked in the kingdom of the Blazing
World, she befriends the natives, a highly intelligent and tolerant
group of humanoid animals. With the help of the locals, the woman
becomes the Empress of the island, and leads the Blazing World into
a society of peace, equality, and understanding. Margaret
Cavendish's The Blazing World explores hot-button topics and
themes, bringing a perspective that is still fresh modern-day. With
imaginative and gripping prose, Cavendish advocates for philosophy
over the material world, becoming a pioneer and strong advocate for
peace, animals' rights, feminism, and equality. Her work is
considered innovative not only for the exploration of these topics,
but also for the invention of a genre. This edition of The Blazing
World is printed in a modern font and redesigned with a striking
new cover, bringing Cavendish's trailblazing literature into the
21st century.
The Convent of Pleasure (1868) is a closet drama by Margaret
Cavendish. Intended for private performance rather than the stage,
The Convent of Pleasure is a comedy that critiques the institution
of marriage and explores the possibility of lesbian desire in a
patriarchal society. Published under the author's own name-a rare
feat for a woman of her time-The Convent of Pleasure is a
groundbreaking work of queer utopian literature that continues to
inform and inspire artists and critics alike. "Put the case I
should Marry the best of Men, if any best there be; yet would a
Marry'd life have more crosses and sorrows then pleasure, freedom,
or hapiness: nay Marriage to those that are virtuous is a greater
restraint then a Monastery." Tired of the ways of men, Lady Happy
encourages her friends to join an experimental cloister devoted to
feminine autonomy, friendship, and desire. Despite opposition from
angry Monsieurs and the skeptical Madam Mediator, the woman forge a
tight-knit group and seem prepared to defy the institution of
marriage while pursuing romantic relationships with their fellow
women. Before long, a mysterious Princess seeks entry to the
convent. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally
typeset manuscript, this edition of Margaret Cavendish's The
Convent of Pleasure is a classic of English literature reimagined
for modern readers.
Margaret Cavendish was one of the most subversive and entertaining
writers of the seventeenth century. She invented new genres,
challenged gender roles, and critiqued the new science as well as
the mores of society. "Paper Bodies" was the wonderful phrase she
used to described her manuscripts, which she hoped would continue
to make "a great Blazing Light" after her death. There are
connections here to Cavendish's most famous work, The Description
of a New World, Called the Blazing World (1666), a unique tale of a
woman travelling through the north pole to a strange new world. In
addition to The Blazing World, this volume includes Cavendish's
brief autobiography, A True Relation of My Birth, Breeding and Life
(1667), her play The Convent of Pleasure, and selections from her
Sociable Letters, her poetry, and her critical writings. A variety
of background documents by other seventeenth-century writers helps
to set her work in context for the modern reader.
When a young woman is shipwrecked in the kingdom of the Blazing
World, she befriends the natives, a highly intelligent and tolerant
group of humanoid animals. With the help of the locals, the woman
becomes the Empress of the island, and leads the Blazing World into
a society of peace, equality, and understanding. Margaret
Cavendish's The Blazing World explores hot-button topics and
themes, bringing a perspective that is still fresh modern-day. With
imaginative and gripping prose, Cavendish advocates for philosophy
over the material world, becoming a pioneer and strong advocate for
peace, animals' rights, feminism, and equality. Her work is
considered innovative not only for the exploration of these topics,
but also for the invention of a genre. This edition of The Blazing
World is printed in a modern font and redesigned with a striking
new cover, bringing Cavendish's trailblazing literature into the
21st century.
Written during the English Civil War and Interregnum when the
public theatres were closed and Margaret Cavendish was living away
from England in exile, Bell in Campo and The Sociable Companions
are scathing satires that speak to the role of women's agency
amidst this cultural tumult. In Bell in Campo, a group of virtuous
women follow their husbands to war and, refusing to remain docilely
out of harm's way, form an army of their own. The Sociable
Companions details the struggles of four women from impoverished
Royalist families trying to survive in a rapacious marriage market
at the war's end. This Broadview Edition presents these two
complementary plays together, along with supplementary materials on
Cavendish's life, the participation of women in the combat of the
English Civil War, the conduct of the Royalist military forces, and
seventeenth-century social and marriage conventions.
The Blazing World is one of the most fascinating, unusual and
astonishing pieces of literature in the English language. Written
in 1666 by Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, the story
follows a young woman who is transported to a world of
animal-people, becomes their empress, and eventually leads an
invasion back into her own world, complete with bird-man
bombardiers and submarine ships. The tale involves spirit
possession, astral projection, the many-worlds theory, and an
interdimensional otherworldly queer romance that is centuries ahead
of its time. Featuring numerous full-page and spot illustrations,
and housed in an elaborately die-cut and embossed slipcase, this is
an heirloom edition designed to be a work of art in its own right.
With an introduction by Brooke Bolander. 9x12", 138 pages.
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673), until
recently remembered more as a flamboyant eccentric than as a
serious writer, was in fact the most prolific, thought-provoking,
and original woman writer of the Restoration. Cavendish is the
author of many poems, short stories, biographies, memoirs, letters,
philosophical and scientific works (including "The Description of a
New World, Called The Blazing World, " the first work of science
fiction by a woman), and nineteen plays.
""The Convent of Pleasure" and Other Plays" collects four of
Cavendish's dramatic works that are among the most revealing of her
attitudes toward marriage and her desire for fame. "Loves
Adventures" (1662) centers on a woman succeeding in war and
diplomacy by passing as a man. Similarly, the heroine of "Bell in
Campo" (1662) rescues her husband at the head of an army of women
in this tale of a marriage of near equals. "The Convent of
Pleasure" (1668) proposes a separatist community of women and has
received attention for its suggestion of lesbian sexuality. "The
Bridals" (1662), a more typical restoration comedy satirizing
marriage, rounds out the collection.
Edited with notes and annotation by Anne Shaver, ""The Convent
of Pleasure" and Other Plays" also contains a timeline, biography
and bibliography of the Duchess, an appreciation of Cavendish's
life and work, and a bibliography of critical essays. Also included
are all of Cavendish's epistles "To the Reader" as well as "Other
Preliminary Matter from Playes" (1662), and Cavendish's original
preface to "Plays Never Before Printed" (1668). A valuable
collection from an extraordinary writer, ""The Convent of Pleasure"
and Other Plays" raises important issues about women and
gender.
Margaret Cavendish's Observations upon Experimental Philosophy holds a unique position in early modern philosophy. Cavendish rejects the picture of nature as a grand machine that was propounded by Hobbes and Descartes; she also rejects the alternative views of nature that make reference to immaterial spirits. Instead she develops an original system of organicist materialism, and draws on the doctrines of ancient Stoicism to attack the tenets of seventeenth-century mechanical philosophy. Her treatise is a document of major importance in the history of women's contributions to philosophy and science.
Flamboyant, theatrical, exuding ambiguous sexuality, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, was one of the seventeeth century's most striking figures, experimental in her personality as much as in her prolific writings. Both 'The Contract' and 'Assaulted and Pursued Chastity' (from Nature's Pictures, 1656) are romances which play out the empowering possibilities of disguise or masking for women. The centrepiece of this collection is The Blazing World, the only known Utopian fiction by a seventeenth century woman writer, an inventive and extravagant portrayal of the rise of a woman to absolute power.
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673) is unique among women writers of the seventeenth century in the scale of her output and in her aspiration to create a philosophical system. This edition presents Cavendish as a political author, and Susan James includes two major texts, the Orations and The Blazing World, accompanied by the standard series features that enables students to gain a better understanding of one of the truly distinctive political voices of the early modern period.
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673) is unique among women writers of the seventeenth century in the scale of her output and in her aspiration to create a philosophical system. This edition presents Cavendish as a political author, and Susan James includes two major texts, the Orations and The Blazing World, accompanied by the standard series features that enables students to gain a better understanding of one of the truly distinctive political voices of the early modern period.
Margaret Cavendish's Observations upon Experimental Philosophy holds a unique position in early modern philosophy. Cavendish rejects the picture of nature as a grand machine that was propounded by Hobbes and Descartes; she also rejects the alternative views of nature that make reference to immaterial spirits. Instead she develops an original system of organicist materialism, and draws on the doctrines of ancient Stoicism to attack the tenets of seventeenth-century mechanical philosophy. Her treatise is a document of major importance in the history of women's contributions to philosophy and science.
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