Writing Rape, Writing Women in Early Modern England: Unbridled Speech

Early Modern Literature in History

by Jocelyn Catty

"Rape" once meant the theft of a woman from a man and the theft of her chastity. Catty (community psychiatry, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London) traces the transition from that definition in the early modern period to its current usage, through a critique of the seduction plots so prevalent in damsel-in-distress romances, prose fiction, and Elizabethan poetry and drama; and its redefinition by 16th and 17th century women writers (e.g. Jane Lumley, Elizabeth Cary, Lady Mary Wroth). An illustration of Susanna and the Elders aptly graces the cover. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

276 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A survey-based book rather than one presenting an analytical argument. Catty has done an excellent job of uncovering the prevalence of rape as a trope in early modern literature, and does a service with the foregrounding of works from outside of the canon. The first section looks at male-authored rape narratives, the second at female-authored. Not much analysis here but some suggestive indicators and much material for further research.