'She tooke armes her selfe': violence, propaganda, and social criticism in The Life of Long Meg of Westminster

Thesis

'The Life of Long Meg of Westminster', registered with the London Stationers’ Company in 1590, is a short book about a tall, fighting woman. Often treated as an unimportant, ephemeral text, scholars of early modern English literature, especially feminist critics, have used the central character to provide context for works about or including fighting women. Yet little scholarly work has focused on the book itself, which warrants further attention because when read in its various contexts it shows signs of enmeshment with contemporary literature and historical events.

Approaching the text generally from post-revisionist feminist and historicist critical viewpoints, this thesis examines the jest-biography for what it reveals about early modern gendered concepts of violence, through its use of swords, warfare, and codes and language of honour and fighting. Despite past critical attention that has focused on female subjection or, conversely, ‘power’ in the text, the jest-biography may be revealed, intriguingly, as both questioning and reaffirming conventional social roles for women and men.

Examining the jest-biography at two points in time shows that the text has the potential to have different meanings depending on when it was read. Around 1590, when the text was first registered with the Stationers’ Company, it may be understood as referring to events of the late sixteenth century, such as the English defeat of the Spanish Armada, and is referred to in literary debates including the Martin Marprelate controversy. In 1620, the text may be interpreted as forming part of the English querelle des femmes debates printed around the same time. By studying the instances of gendered violence in the jest-biography within their literary and historic contexts, it becomes clear that the text is not just an ephemeral jestbook, but rather has the potential to be interpreted as a work of propaganda and social criticism.

Authors: Matthews, GE

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-nzbr5ggyo
• Type of award: MLitt
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Martin Marprelate controversy; fencing manuals; swordplay in literature; women in early modern English literature; women in English literature; swordplay in English literature; early modern propaganda; fencing in literature; historicist criticism; post-revisionist feminist criticism; women in literature; early modern social criticism; jest-biography; jest-book; book history; women and fencing; querelle des femmes; English literature; women and swordplay
• Subjects: English prose literature--Early modern, 1500-1700--History and criticism; Jestbooks; Women in literature