Unradical Feminisms: Whitney and the World of Women’s Work

Abstract

ABSTRACT Isabella Whitney is often celebrated as the first professional woman English writer. Such “firsts”, however, are sticky—a matter of shifting data and definitions. More importantly, a focus on a “first” woman can often obfuscate the reality of women’s historical involvements in a field. When Whitney’s first work was published, the printing press had not yet been in England a full century, and professional writers of any description were still thin on the ground. But women who wrote, who were involved in the book trade, or who otherwise participated in the publishing world were no anomaly. While gender is important to both Whitney’s work and her historical place, this article will prioritize placing those considerations in conversation with the larger contextual community of early modern print. How might we continue to reconceptualize Whitney’s place in the history of women’s writing, circumventing tokenization and promoting a fuller appreciation of all women’s places in the world of early modern writing, print, and books? Whitney’s work then emerges as an exemplar of early professional authorship qua professional authorship, full stop, and as one access point for appreciating the rich and extensive involvement of women in the early English publishing and writing networks.