‘Women’s Speaking Justified’ and Other Pamphlets by Margaret Fell

Abstract

MLR, .,   those that went before. Nevertheless, at least this reader wonders why it should always be only the dead female body that is blended with stone, or contained in coffins, or buried in a monument of flowers. To what extent are we taking the cue from early modern notions of gendered subjectivity, and to what extent is the ‘equation of materiality and femininity’ a back-projection across the divide of a two-sex model that emerged only later in history? While Philippy never simply assumes that equation but shows how femininity and materiality are being actively conflated in rites of commemoration and their textual representations, the question of what motivated this historically is not addressed. Compellingly written, and bringing together an unusual and rich collection of texts, artefacts, and practices with a methodology that generates fresh insights into post-Reformation literary and memory culture, Patricia Philippy’s monograph is a veritable cabinet of wonders in the best sense: it irresistibly invites ‘recovery, reuse and renewal’ (p. ) of textual objects we think we know well, but are challenged by this study to discover anew. is is an important addition to what is at the moment one of the most vibrant fields in early modern studies. U  Z I K ‘Women’s Speaking Justified’ and Other Pamphlets. By M F. Ed. by J D and R M. L. (e Other Voice in Early Modern Europe: e Toronto Series, ; Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, ) Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. . xx+ pp. $.; £.. ISBN ––––. Closely following volume  of e Other Voice in Early Modern Europe series— Witness, Warning, and Prophecy: Quaker Women’s Writing, –, ed. by Teresa Feroli and Margaret Olofson ickstun (Toronto: Iter Press; Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, )—Jane Donawerth and Rebecca M. Lush’s new selected edition of pamphlets written by Margaret Fell (–) contributes to a fascinating overall picture of the range and ability of seventeenthcentury women writers belonging to the Society of Friends (or Quakers). e volume demonstrates Fell’s extraordinary achievement as one of the founders of Quakerism, assisting her second husband, George Fox, in spreading her truth to fellow Friends, opponents of the movement (of which there were many), and potential converts, including the Jewish community (see A Loving Salutation to the Seed of Abraham among the Jews ()). Fell collaborated with her husband, and others, ‘to shape the theology of the Inner Light that guided Friends in their Bible reading and their lives’ (p. ), and, as the edition evidences, she did not shrink from challenging hostile authority figures, including justices of the peace (see e Examination of Margaret Fell () for her account of her trial following arrest for violating the Conventicle Act) and even the king of England, in her Letter Sent to the King (). While many of her works were completed at her home, Swarthmoor Hall, which became a ‘central location for Friends’ activities’ (p. ), her now  Reviews most famous work, Women’s Speaking Justified ( and ), ‘one of the first defenses of women’s preaching in the Christian tradition’ (p. ), was completed while she was in prison. e edition, therefore, firmly places Fell as an important and wide-ranging writer ‘not only in Quaker Studies, but more broadly in early modern women’s studies, religious studies, and the history of rhetoric’, as well as feminist scholarship (pp. –). It is likely to be of interest to both scholars and students, and its thorough footnotes on individual texts (particularly concerning biblical allusions) are exemplary. Readers interested in the beginnings of Quakerism, especially women’s role in the early movement, will find much of interest here. A scholarly Introduction outlines the key religious, political, and social concerns of relevance to Fell’s work, and there are individual introductions to each text. However, the most revealing aspect of this edition is the attention given to Fell’s ability as a skilled rhetorician, adept at craing arguments suited to different, though oen overlapping, readerships. is is demonstrated through the editors’ choice of eight texts representing ‘the range of Fell’s writing in genre and chronology’ (p. ), including her autobiography , examination, and several epistles and arguments. e...