Gender, Speech, and Audience Reception in Early Modern England

This book makes a significant contribution to recent scholarship on the ways in which women responded to the regulation of their behavior by focusing on representations of women speakers and their audiences in moments Smith identifies as "scenes of speech." Drawing from evidence including pamphlets, diaries, illustrations, and plays, it interprets the various and at times contradictory representations and reception of women’s speech that circulated in early modern England. The volume is of particular use for scholars interested in Shakespeare, Cary, Webster, Fletcher, and Middleton, or studying early modern literature and culture, women’s history, gender studies, and performance studies.