BABL Instructors Lady Mary Wroth
Lady Mary Wroth
Possible Lines of Approach
Gender and women’s writing
Form and genre
Historical and political contexts
Notes on Approaching Particular Works
The Countess of Montgomery’s Urania
Pamphilia and Amphilanthus
Questions for Discussion
Critical Viewpoints/Reception History
Appendices
Appendix 1: Sidney–Herbert Family Tree
Appendix 2: Correspondence between Lady Mary Wroth and Lord Denny
Possible Lines of Approach
Gender and women’s writing
•
This approach emphasizes Wroth’s position as the first Englishwoman to write and publish a sonnet sequence and a prose romance; it considers thematic elements in the works, as well as their contemporary reception. For context, some helpful materials may include Wroth and Denny’s correspondence (quoted below in Appendix 2) and poetic exchange (included in the Anthology itself), and some discussion of Wroth’s personal circle, which included several female authors.
Form and genre
•
Wroth experimented with an immensely diverse range of forms and genres, including pastoral romance (Urania), sonnet sequence (Pamphilia to Amphilanthus), and drama
(Love’s Victory). Specific points to address may include the relationship of form to narrative, the revitalization of older forms such as pastoral, and links between early modern fiction, medieval romance, and the rise of the novel. Special attention may be given to the crown of sonnets in Pamphilia to Amphilanthus. Students may also wish to examine the text of Wroth’s play Love’s Victory.
Historical and political contexts
•
Slanting a study of Wroth towards the historical and political will require some examination of Urania as well as of the sonnet sequence. Discussion of Wroth’s treatment of the Jacobean court as well as her representations of the contemporary international scene will be significant to this approach, and a thorough understanding of the characters and their allusive counterparts is required. More than the other two, the depth of this approach is dependent on
Possible Lines of Approach
Gender and women’s writing
Form and genre
Historical and political contexts
Notes on Approaching Particular Works
The Countess of Montgomery’s Urania
Pamphilia and Amphilanthus
Questions for Discussion
Critical Viewpoints/Reception History
Appendices
Appendix 1: Sidney–Herbert Family Tree
Appendix 2: Correspondence between Lady Mary Wroth and Lord Denny
Possible Lines of Approach
Gender and women’s writing
•
This approach emphasizes Wroth’s position as the first Englishwoman to write and publish a sonnet sequence and a prose romance; it considers thematic elements in the works, as well as their contemporary reception. For context, some helpful materials may include Wroth and Denny’s correspondence (quoted below in Appendix 2) and poetic exchange (included in the Anthology itself), and some discussion of Wroth’s personal circle, which included several female authors.
Form and genre
•
Wroth experimented with an immensely diverse range of forms and genres, including pastoral romance (Urania), sonnet sequence (Pamphilia to Amphilanthus), and drama
(Love’s Victory). Specific points to address may include the relationship of form to narrative, the revitalization of older forms such as pastoral, and links between early modern fiction, medieval romance, and the rise of the novel. Special attention may be given to the crown of sonnets in Pamphilia to Amphilanthus. Students may also wish to examine the text of Wroth’s play Love’s Victory.
Historical and political contexts
•
Slanting a study of Wroth towards the historical and political will require some examination of Urania as well as of the sonnet sequence. Discussion of Wroth’s treatment of the Jacobean court as well as her representations of the contemporary international scene will be significant to this approach, and a thorough understanding of the characters and their allusive counterparts is required. More than the other two, the depth of this approach is dependent on