<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The paper explores the limiting and detrimental effects of biographical criticism and exceptionalism in the efforts of reinstating women authors into the Renaissance canon, by looking into the literary merits of Elizabeth Cary’s <italic>The Tragedy of Mariam, The Fair Queen of Jewry</italic> and <italic>The History of The Life, Reign and Death of Edward II</italic>. Whereas the conflation of biography and fiction is a successful recipe for canonization and for the production of feminist icons, it renders the text impotent because of its resulting inability to compete with or to be seen in correlation and interplay with other contemporary texts.</p></abstract>

The paper explores the limiting and detrimental effects of biographical criticism and exceptionalism in the efforts of reinstating women authors into the Renaissance canon, by looking into the literary merits of Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam, The Fair Queen of Jewry and The History of The Life, Reign and Death of Edward II. Whereas the conflation of biography and fiction is a successful recipe for canonization and for the production of feminist icons, it renders the text impotent because of its resulting inability to compete with or to be seen in correlation and interplay with other contemporary texts.

‘Dancing through the Minefield’: Canon Reinstatement Strategies for Women Authors

West University of Timișoara, 4, Vasile Pârvan Blvd, 300223, Timișoara, Romania

Gender Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The paper explores the limiting and detrimental effects of biographical criticism and exceptionalism in the efforts of reinstating women authors into the...

‘Dancing through the Minefield’: Canon Reinstatement Strategies for Women Authors

Online veröffentlicht: 29. Feb. 2016

Seitenbereich: 48 - 67

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/genst-2016-0004

Schlüsselwörter
biographical criticism, canonical reinstatement, Jacobean drama, Stuart patriarchy

© 2015 Reghina Dascăl, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

‘Dancing through the Minefield’: Canon Reinstatement Strategies for Women Authors

Online veröffentlicht: 29. Feb. 2016

Seitenbereich: 48 - 67

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/genst-2016-0004

Schlüsselwörterbiographical criticism, canonical reinstatement, Jacobean drama, Stuart patriarchy

© 2015 Reghina Dascăl, published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Schlüsselwörter
biographical criticism, canonical reinstatement, Jacobean drama, Stuart patriarchy