265 Forgotten Women of Literature 3 | Aemelia Lanyer

The History of Literature

Jacke Wilson

History, Books, Arts

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2020

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The "Forgotten Women of Literature" series continues with a look at Aemilia Bassano Lanyer (1569-1645), the first Englishwoman to publish a volume of poetry, the protofeminist Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, which tells the story of Christ's crucifixion from a woman's perspective. In addition to her many accomplishments and incredible life story, Lanyer has tantalizingly close connections to William Shakespeare, leading Jacke (and other scholars) to speculation about whether she might have been the inspiration for the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's sonnets. Help support the show at patreon.com/literature or historyofliterature.com/shop. (We appreciate it!) Find out more at historyofliterature.com, jackewilson.com, or by following Jacke and Mike on Twitter at @thejackewilson and @literatureSC. Or send an email to [email protected]. New!!! Looking for an easy to way to buy Jacke a coffee? Now you can at paypal.me/jackewilson. Your generosity is much appreciated! The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at www.thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature. *** This show is a part of the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the website and sign up for our newsletter for more information about our shows, launches, and events. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy. Since you're listening to The History of Literature, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows surrounding literature, history, and storytelling like Storybound, Micheaux Mission, and The History of Standup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The History of Literature Podcast is a member of the Podglamorate Network and LIT Hub Radio.
0:07.0	Hello, her life was like a fairy tale, or maybe one should say a 19th century rags to riches novel.
0:17.0	She was born in London in 1569, the child of an unmarried couple.
0:22.0	Her father was Baptiste Bassano,
0:24.4	a musician who would come a long way, starting in the Jewish ghetto of Venice,
0:28.6	converting to Christianity, and winding up in the court of Queen Elizabeth the first.
0:34.0	When she was seven years old, her father died,
0:37.0	and she was brought up in the household of the Countess of Kent,
0:40.0	a forward-thinking woman who believed strongly in the education of girls.
0:45.6	When she was 18, her looks, with her raven hair and Mediterranean complexion, combined with her
0:51.8	courtly manners and her first-rate mind and education made
0:55.9	her a strikingly attractive lady.
0:58.7	And in fact, she became the mistress of one of the most powerful men in England, who was 43 years, her senior.
1:06.6	After a scandal at age 23, she was forced to marry another man, her cousin, and then at 42, she became the published author of the first significant
1:16.3	volume of English poetry written by a woman under her own name.
1:21.3	And the topic of the poem is absolutely extraordinary.
1:25.8	Proto feminist.
1:27.4	She lived to be 76 years old.
1:29.5	That's a full life, one worthy of covering here on the history of literature if for no other reason
1:34.7	than her book of poetry and we haven't even told you the most enticing part.
1:40.4	There's no hard evidence but there are some tantalizing suggestions that she knew Shakespeare
1:47.5	She may have inspired his writing she he may have absorbed certain subjects from her.
	...

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