A Duchess “given to contemplation”: The Education of Margaret Cavendish

E Mariah Spencer

doi:10.1017/heq.2021.9

Abstract

AbstractMargaret Cavendish was an unusually public figure in early modern England. She published widely under her own name on several secular subjects, including natural philosophy, inequality of the sexes, and educational theory. This article explores the development of Cavendish's educational theories through a detailed account of her life, which took place in three discrete stages. First, it examines her youth, when she was informally educated by family members and private tutors. It then follows her education as she traveled to Europe with her embattled queen and met her husband, William Cavendish. And finally, it shows that with William's support and patronage, Cavendish returned to England at the Restoration as a confident and mature female author. In doing so, this article addresses questions related to Cavendish's pedagogical beliefs, why those beliefs sometimes differed from her own experiences, and how she communicated these ideas through her literature.

Highlights

The English author and natural philosopher Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623–1673), reflected on the meaning and purpose of life: “There’s a saying, That men are born to live, and live to dye; but I think some are onely born to dye, and not to live; for they make small use of life, and life makes small use of them.”1 For Cavendish, the most meaningful use of life was to contemplate and write, which she did from her earliest years.2 As she explained in her autobiography, “I was from my
This article addresses questions related to Cavendish’s pedagogical beliefs, why those beliefs sometimes differed from her own experiences, and how she communicated these ideas through her literature
As she explained in her autobiography, “I was from my Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core

Summary

Introduction

The English author and natural philosopher Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623–1673), reflected on the meaning and purpose of life: “There’s a saying, That men are born to live, and live to dye; but I think some are onely born to dye, and not to live; for they make small use of life, and life makes small use of them.”1 For Cavendish, the most meaningful use of life was to contemplate and write, which she did from her earliest years.2 As she explained in her autobiography, “I was from my.

Results

Conclusion