MIAMI UNIVERSITY the Graduate School Certificate for Approving The
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MIAMIUNIVERSITY TheGraduateSchool CertificateforApprovingtheDissertation WeherebyapprovetheDissertation of RhodaF.Cairns CandidatefortheDegree: DoctorofPhilosophy _____________________________________ Director Dr.KatharineM.Gillespie _____________________________________ Reader Dr.KatherineJ.Ronald _____________________________________ Reader Dr.FrancesE.Dolan _____________________________________ GraduateSchoolRepresentative Dr.P.ReneeBaernstein ABSTRACT THEEXEGESISOFEXPERIENCE:TYPOLOGYANDWOMEN’SRHETORICS INEARLYMODERNENGLANDANDNEWENGLAND byRhodaF.Cairns Thisprojectrepresentsthefirstmajorstudyofthewide-rangingwaysinwhichearlymodern women’suseofbiblicaltypologyasarhetoricalstrategynotonlyauthorizedtheirvoicesin publicdiscourse,butalsopositionedthemasinfluentialactorsinthepublicspheresofchurch andstate.Criticsoftenarguethatearlymodernwomen’sagencyiscompromisedbymale mediatorsandthepatriarchalstructuresofreligionandgovernment,astancechallengedbythis studyofelevenearlymodernwomen,representingeightdifferentconfessionalaffiliations, whoserhetoricalperformancesrangeintimefrom1547to1682,inbothEnglandandNew England.Foursignificantsitesofwomen’sspeechareinvestigated,movingfromtheleasttothe mosthighlycontested.UsingtextsbyElizabethCary’sdaughter,AliceThornton,andKatharine EvansandSarahCheverstoexploredomesticsites,ChapterOnearguesthatwomenerected typologicalidentitiesonbothbedandtable,performingtypologically-inflectedscenariosand tableauxwhosesignificanceextendedbeyondthenarrowcircleoffamilyandhousehold. ConsideringAnnaTrapnelandMaryRowlandson,ChapterTwoexaminestheiruseoftypology inthecontextoftheritualtravelgenresofpilgrimageandroyalprogressinordertocritiquestate power.ChapterThreearguesthatSusannahParrandAnneWentworthusetypologyasastrategy ofself-sequestrationtoestablishpersonalboundariesandresisttheclaimsoflocalchurch congregations,whilealsocreatingself-liberatingtypologicalnarrativesthatestablishidentity outsidetherecognizedcommunityoffaith.Finally,consideringthehighlyconflictedsitesof examinationsandtrials,ChapterFourshowshowAnneAskew,AnneHutchinson,andElizabeth Cellierdeploytypologyasastrategythatgivesthemrhetoricalpowerovertheirpersecutorsand authorizesthemtocritiquethemotivationsthatdrivetheauthorities’desiretosuppressand silence.Thisstudyestablishestheradicalwayinwhichwomenusetypologicalstrategiesto rewriteandtransformspacesthatcontainedthem;thenarrativepowerofthetypologicallinking ofsacredhistoryandtheirownlivesinformstheirspeech,providinganotherimportantwayof connectingwomen’stextstothebroaderliteraryandrhetoricalhistoriesthatarebeing (re)written. THEEXEGESISOFEXPERIENCE:TYPOLOGYANDWOMEN’SRHETORICS INEARLYMODERNENGLANDANDNEWENGLAND ADISSERTATION Submittedtothefacultyof MiamiUniversityinpartial fulfillmentoftherequirements forthedegreeof DoctorofPhilosophy DepartmentofEnglish by RhodaF.Cairns MiamiUniversity Oxford,Ohio 2008 DissertationDirector:Dr.KatharineGillespie © RhodaF.Cairns 2008 TableofContents Introduction……………………………..……………………………………...............1 Typology,Allegory,andEarlyModernRhetoric……………………………….8 TypologyandEarlyModernWomen…………………………………….…….16 ChapterI:DomesticFurniture,Typology,andtheHouseholdersofFaith..……...23 Introduction….....................................................................................................23 “GloriousHouseholdStuff”:Domesticfurniture,rituals,andreligion...………27 ExclusionsandTransgressions:Male-authoredrepresentationsofthe Domestic………………………………………………………………………..32 A“Motherinfaith”:Thetable,typology,andElizabethCary’sEducational Project…………………………………………………………………………..42 AliceThornton:Typology,familyhistory,andthedeathbedaspublicspace….51 EvansandChevers:Domesticfurniturein“publikeview”……………………..64 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………....74 ChapterII:TravelingPerformances,Typology,andCommunity………………….77 Introduction……………………………………………………….…………….77 PilgrimagesandProgressesasRitualizedTravel……………………..................81 Bunyan’sChristianaandthefemalepilgrim…………………………………….85 AnnaTrapnel:“Anextraordinaryjourney”………………………..….…………91 MaryRowlandson:Wildernesswanderings…...…………………………….....103 Conclusion……………………………………………………………..……….116 ChapterIII:SequesteredSpaces:TypologyasRhetoricalResistancetothe ClaimsofReligiousCommunity…………………………...………………...……….119 Introduction…………………………………………………………..………...119 Sequesteredwoman: TheDuchessofMalfi andtwo“Remarkable Occurrences”from MagnaliaChristiAmericana …………………...………….122 SusannaParr:anunveiledSusanna……...…………………………..……….....135 AnneWentworth:delivereddaughterofZion…………………………….…....152 Conclusion……………………………………………………………..……….161 ChapterIV:LegalDramasandtheTypologicalLanguageofDefense...……..…...163 iii Introduction……………………………………...……………...………………163 TheMaid,theMatron,andthePenitent:Womenandthelawin male-authoredtexts……………………………………………………...……....165 AnneAskew:“Toowiseforawomen”…………………………………...….....179 AnneHutchinson:Entertainingthesaints……………….…………………...….189 ElizabethCellier:AdistressedDavidandadamselindistress……….....…..…..208 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….218 Conclusion……………………………………………..…………………………..…....219 WorksCited……………………………………………………………..……..………..223 iv Dedication Thisdissertationisdedicatedtomychildren, NicoleandIan, whouncomplaininglysharedtheirmother withthisprojectformuchlongerthan eithertheyorIanticipated. v Acknowledgements Mydeepappreciationtomycommitteefortheirguidance,support,andpatience;to FranDolanforensuringIhadastrongprospectusbeforesheleftforCaliforniaand forcontinuingtoserveonmycommitteefromagreatdistance;andparticularlyto KatharineGillespie,forgentlyproddingmethroughapotentiallydauntingtask withajudiciousmixtureofwarmencouragementandintellectualchallenge.Thanks areduealsotomyfriendsandfamily,who,throughtheircontinuingfaithinme, madeasignificantcontributiontothecompletionofthisproject. vi TheverityofourLordremainethforever.Itisnot veritashominum ,verityofmen, norverityofwomen,but veritasDomini ,andthisveritywomenmayhave aswellasmen.Ifwefail,itisforwantofverity andnotbecausewearewomen. MaryWard vii Introduction ...manythingsthatliterallyconcernedtheJewesweretypesandfigures, signifyingthelikethingsconcerningthepeopleofGodintheselatterdayes. RichardMather, Anapologieofthechurches (1643) Typologyisreadingandreadingisbotharecreation ofthetextandarecreationofthereader....Typologyasa linguisticphenomenonhastobecompletedinreading. TiborFabiny, TheLionandtheLamb WritingtotheirQuakercommunitiesfromprisoncellsontheislandofMalta,wherethey hadbeendetainedbytheInquisitionin1659,KatharineEvansandSarahCheversclaimthat“the LordhathwroughtasgreataMiracleinourpreservation,aseverhedidinraisingLazarusoutof thegrave”( ShortRelation 68). 1WhilethecomparisontoLazarusmayseemsimplyaminorand superficialanalogytotwenty-firstcenturyreaders,itprovidesanexampleoftheoftensubtlebut verysignificantrhetoricalstrategyoftypology,astrategywhichenablesEvansandCheversto transformasimplenarrativeofpersonalhardshipandlocalizedreligiouspersecutionintoa narrativewhichfunctionsasasignofhopefortheirQuakeraudienceandasacommentaryon thecurrentstatusofthatreligiouscommunityinanationinpoliticalandreligiouscrisis.Evans andCheverstogetherbecomeanewLazarus,atyperepresentativeoftheactivepowerofGod, whowillbringhistorytoitsclimacticfulfillmentinspiteof“alongWinter,andmanysharpand terriblestorms”(69).ItisnocoincidencethattheLazarusreferenceisfollowedbyanextended passageinwhichthewomenremindtheirQuakerfamilyofthatpromisedfuture,afuturein whichthetwowomenthemselvesareevenatthepresentmomentplayingapreparatoryrole. Inthesimplestandmostgeneralterms,typologycanbedefinedasafiguralstrategyby whichaperson,object,oreventinthepresentisrepresentedasa“type”ofapastbiblicalperson, 1Seealso24.Incitingfromprimarysources,eitherintheoriginalorineditionsthatduplicatethe orthographyoftheoriginals,Ihaveregularizedtheoccurrencesof“v”and“w.”Also,unlessIindicateIhavedone otherwise,Ihavenotreproducedthefrequentitalicizationsintheprimarysources.Inallotherrespects,quotations willfollowtheorthographyandpunctuationofthesourcefromwhichIamciting.However,anyquotationofa primarysourcecitedinsecondarycriticismhasbeenreproducedexactlyasprintedinthesecondarysource. 1 group,object,orevent,thusmappingthecharacteristics,contexts,andsignificationsofthelatter ontotheformer. 2Thetermitselfdidnotcomeintouseuntilthenineteenthcentury,whenitwas coinedtoformalizethehermeneuticalpractice,seenatthetimeasoriginatingwithChristandthe NewTestamentwriters,ofinterpretingcertainfiguresandeventsintheOldTestamentastypes ofcorrespondingfiguresandeventsintheNewTestament.Thus,initsnarrowesttheological application,typologyisChristological;itdescribesamethodofbiblicalinterpretationthatfinds “types”(sometimescalled“shadows”)ofChristandthecentralChristeventsinpersonsor eventsintheOldTestament;Christistheanti-type,theultimatefulfillmenttowhichtheearlier typespoint.However,whilethetermwasformallycoinedtodescribe“amodeofscriptural hermeneutics...[that]disclosedthedeep,unifyingstructureofOldandNewTestamentsby positingtheretrospectivefiguralityoftheChrist-event”(Gallagher210),typologyasawriting andreadingstrategyhasbeenpracticedforcenturiesintextsandcontextsbeyondthestrictly Christologicalapplicationsofformalizedtheology.Accordingto TheOxfordCompaniontothe Bible ,OldTestamentwritersthemselveswerealreadyengagingintypologicalinterpretations,as, forexample,whenpassagesinIsaiahinterprettheGenesisstoryofcreationandthe emancipationofthenationofIsraelfromEgyptastypesoftheprophesiedreturnofthenation fromcaptivityandexile(Hanson,“Typology”783-84).