Margaret the First
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 161-163).

"Margaret the First dramatizes the life of Margaret Cavendish, the shy, gifted, and wildly unconventional 17th-century Duchess. The eccentric Margaret wrote and published volumes of poems, philosophy, feminist plays, and utopian science fiction at a time when 'being a writer' was not an option open to women."--Publisher website.

Margaret Cavendish was a shy, gifted, and wildly unconventional 17th-century Duchess who wrote and published volumes of poems, philosophy, feminist plays, and utopian science fiction at a time when 'being a writer' was not an option open to women. As one of the Queen's attendants and the daughter of prominent Royalists, she was exiled to France when King Charles I was overthrown. She met and married William Cavendish, who encouraged her writing and her desire for a career. Her work earned her both fame and infamy in England: she was labeled "Mad Madge"--Yet was also the first woman to be invited to the Royal Society of London.