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Gender, Marriage, and Biblical Typology in Early Modern England

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Gender, Marriage, and Biblical Typology in Early Modern England Syracuse University SURFACE Dissertations - ALL SURFACE December 2017 Wifely Figures: Gender, Marriage, and Biblical Typology in Early Modern England Melissa Welshans Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/etd Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Recommended Citation Welshans, Melissa, "Wifely Figures: Gender, Marriage, and Biblical Typology in Early Modern England" (2017). Dissertations - ALL. 815. https://surface.syr.edu/etd/815 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the SURFACE at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations - ALL by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This dissertation illuminates how the hermeneutic of biblical typology influenced the conception of the female life cycle in early modern English literature, especially the social roles of maid, wife, and widow. Reading texts from a variety of genres and by both male and female authors, this dissertation argues that a typological understanding of marriage gave additional, spiritual import to those social roles, thus further upholding ideologies that defined women by their proximity to marriage. However, this dissertation also demonstrates how a typological understanding of marriage and the female life cycle could also be used to critique gender norms. After providing an introduction that overviews the theoretical premise of the dissertation, each chapter offers a reading of a text that demonstrates the purchase for early modern feminist and queer literary criticism of recognizing marriage’s typological implications. My first chapter argues that Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton’s The Roaring Girl (1611) figures its titular character, Moll Cutpurse, as a secular prophet whose perpetual maidenhood, coupled with her prophetic speech, challenges the typological assumption that marriage advances Christian women towards a spiritually superior life stage. My second chapter argues that Aemilia Lanyer’s Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (1611) presents spiritual marriage as an alternative to earthly marriages, as well as a means through which her dedicatees might achieve typological spiritual ascent. My third chapter argues that by suggesting her act of publication is part of her performance as a Good Widow (a figure who remains chaste to her deceased husband despite his death), Dorothy Leigh avoids succumbing to the typologically and socially ambivalent associations of widowhood in The Mothers Blessing (1616). My fourth chapter argues that John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667) proposes that a true, godly marriage cannot exist unless it adheres to the tenets of what I call “monist marriage”—a marriage wherein couples unite both body and soul for “mutual help” towards spiritual advancement. Milton’s argument also supports the right to divorce if couples find themselves in marriages that do not meet this definition. Wifely Figures: Gender, Marriage, and Biblical Typology in Early Modern England by Melissa Welshans B.A., George Mason University, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Syracuse University December 2017 Copyright © Melissa Welshans, 2017 All Rights Reserved Acknowledgements In many ways, this project is the culmination of the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Even before graduating high school I was certain I wanted to get a PhD, mostly because I was attracted to the idea of being a “college professor,” or what I thought one was based on television portrayals of people with PhDs. Of course, I had no idea what achieving that dream would entail. To say graduate school was more difficult than I anticipated would be an understatement. But what I also did not anticipate was the supportive, encouraging community I would find at Syracuse University. First, I must thank my dissertation committee members, Crystal Bartolovich, Dympna Callaghan, and Stephanie Shirilan, who have each held me to a rigorous intellectual standard while being infinitely patient as I gained the knowledge and confidence necessary to complete the dissertation. Without the guidance of these individuals, and especially Crystal, this project would remain an unfulfilled dream. I am also thankful for my readers, Patricia Roylance and Jennifer Higginbotham, for so graciously participating in my defense and offering their feedback on this document. While I have benefited from Patty’s guidance since I was in coursework, it was the Shakespeare Association of America that provided me with the opportunity to work with Jennifer, and I am very grateful to that organization for facilitating our introduction. I must also thank Amanda Eubanks-Winkler for serving as dissertation Chair, and for her generous feedback on and support of my dissertation project for many years. Crystal, Dympna, Stephanie, Patty, Jennifer, and Amanda: “thank you” is truly an insufficient phrase for expressing the depth of my gratitude. Many faculty beyond those already mentioned have been integral to my intellectual and professional development. I am indebted to the mentorship and instruction I received from Steven Putzel as an undergraduate at the Pennsylvania State University’s Wilkes-Barre campus, where, after taking his course on Shakespeare, I became an English major. I also owe a special thanks to Denise Albanese of George Mason University for fostering my love of John Milton and for supporting and encouraging my graduate school pursuit. While at Syracuse, I have also benefited greatly from the instruction and mentorship of Coran Claver, Steven Cohan, Laurinda Dixon, Mike Goode, Roger Hallas, Erin Mackie, and Donald Morton. I also owe many thanks to Terri Zollo, the English Department’s Graduate Student Coordinator, for knowing all the answers to all the questions, and providing those answers with a cheerful good nature that never ceases to amaze me. And I am grateful to Syracuse University’s Med/Ren Working Group for facilitating collaboration across disciplines and professional rank, to the Folger Shakespeare Library for allowing me to participate in a year-long dissertation seminar with Peter Stallybrass and Karen Kupperman (2013-2014), and to the Syracuse University Humanity’s Center for awarding me a dissertation fellowship (2015-2016). I am also incredibly thankful for my fellow graduate students, without whom I certainly would not have finished my degree. Their collegiality, intellectual curiosity, and sense of humor have sustained me through the darkest moments of this process. To my original cohort: Jillian Sherwin, Eric Van Hoose, Laurel Anhert, Sarah Lozo Van Gorder, and the late Joe Hughes—the first year of graduate school was rough and I could not have done it without you. I am also eternally grateful to those graduate students who mentored me in those early years (and continue to do so): Rinku Chatterjee, C.J. Dosch, and Lizz Stearns. Thank you to Amy Burnette, Lindsey Decker, Steven Doles, Evan Hixon, Peter Katz, Ashley O’Mara, Rachel Snyder-Lockman, Staci Stutsman, T.J. West III, and Jordan Wood who have all, in varying degrees, read or heard material that would end up being a part of this dissertation. Even more than this, they have been iv stalwart supporters of me through this process, and I could not have done it without them. I am especially grateful for Staci who read, commented on, and helped format the entire dissertation before its completion. And thank you to the collegiality and friendship of the many graduate students who have been a part of the English graduate program beyond those named above—I hesitate to name you all for fear of leaving someone out, but for each of you I am grateful. I am also extremely thankful for the many friends who have offered extensive emotional, physical, and even spiritual support outside of Syracuse’s English program. I would like to extend special thanks to Ashley Allen, Danielle Blokzyl, Becky Brown, Caly Doran, Kiffen Dosch, T J Geiger, Heather and Ben Johnson, Li Kang, Samantha Tice, Amber Zurn, as well as all the friends with whom I shared food, wine, and art at Art Collective. In Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, the angel Clarence leaves a note for George Bailey that reads, “No man is a failure who has friends.” You have proven this true for me more times than I can count, especially when I was filled with the most self-doubt. Thank you. Finally, I must thank my family for always supporting me as I pursued my dreams. I am especially grateful for my aunt, Rebecca Polly, who has always encouraged my intellectual endeavors and frequently visited Syracuse to treat me to much-needed breaks from work. Thank you to my grandma, Kay Saxton, who took my sister and I to the library every week during the summer months when we were children and instilled in me a love of reading. Thank you to my parents, Henry and Lori Saxton, for being there every step of the way in whatever way I needed; your unconditional love and support has been a constant from which I gain strength. Thank you to my husband, Wayne, for putting many of your dreams on hold so I could work on mine. And finally, thank you to my daughter, Magnolia, for showing me that life can still be filled with joy even when all hope seems lost. v Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................1 Chapter 1 – “The Sounds Like Doomsday”: Moll Cutpurse, Marriage, and Prophetic Critique
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