Beautiful Minds: Margaret Lucas Cavendish

Episode Summary

The Encyclopedia Womantica podcast highlights intellectual women who changed history. This episode focuses on Margaret Lucas Cavendish, a 17th century English poet, philosopher, writer, and sci-fi pioneer who published under her own name. Margaret Lucas was born in 1623 into an aristocratic English family. She was self-educated and an avid reader on topics reserved for men. In 1644, she became a maid for Queen Henrietta Maria and went into exile in France with her. There, Margaret met and married William Cavendish, who greatly influenced her writing. After living abroad, Margaret returned to England with her royalist husband. In 1653, she published her first book, containing poems and prose on diverse topics like science. Her writing style was modest, hoping readers would treat her work kindly. She was protective of her "child" - her books - wanting to prevent their "disgrace." Margaret wrote extensively on natural philosophy, shifting between various schools of thought. She produced books rapidly, expecting critics would call it a "disease." She was the first woman invited to the Royal Society meetings, alongside famous male philosophers. Margaret also wrote one of the earliest sci-fi novels, The Blazing World, about a utopian world ruled by a young female empress. She published over a dozen original works, including plays. Known as "Mad Madge" for her eccentricity, her books remain in print today. She likely published more than any other 17th century English woman.

Episode Show Notes

Margaret Lucas Cavandish (1623-1673) was a a poet, philosopher, writer and Sci-Fi trailblazer.

Episode Transcript

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SPEAKER_06: Hi, I'm Katie Lowes. And I'm Adam Shapiro. We're the new hosts of Chasing Sleep, a podcast from iHeartRadio and Mattress Firm back for season two. We have questions like, can I sleep on the job and be a more productive employee? And is it okay to not sleep in the same bed as my partner? Adam. I'm just saying, we'll talk to experts and everyday people as we uncover some of sleep's mysteries. So listen to Chasing Sleep on the iHeartRadio app, SPEAKER_01: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. SPEAKER_00: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Wamanica. This month, we're highlighting beautiful minds, intellectual powerhouses who changed the course of history. Many such women were criticized in their lifetimes and beyond for stepping out of what was deemed the appropriate women's sphere. We obviously disagree with that premise. Today we're talking about a poet, philosopher, writer, and sci-fi trailblazer who, unlike many contemporaries, published using her own name. We're talking about the one and only Margaret Lucas Cavendish. Margaret Lucas was born around 1623 in Colchester, England. She was the youngest of eight children. Her family was part of the aristocracy, and Margaret was educated at home. In addition to her studies, Margaret was an avid reader, even of subjects that were typically reserved for men. Margaret's family was royalist, and in 1642, she was sent to live with her sister in Oxford, then the location of King Charles I's court. Margaret became one of Queen Henrietta Maria's maids. It was a time of revolution in England, and in 1644, Henrietta Maria sought exile in France. Margaret went, too. In Paris, Margaret met William Cavendish, and the two married in 1645. He was at least 30 years her senior. She credited him with having great influence on her work. After Paris, Margaret and William moved to Rotterdam and Antwerp before returning to England as Charles II took the throne. Throughout that period, Margaret wrote prolifically. Her first book, Poems and Fancies, was published in 1653. It included poems and prose covering a variety of topics, including science. Margaret's written demeanor was somewhat shy. She wrote about her hope that the reader would look kindly on her work. One poem, titled An Apology for Writing So Much Upon This Book, reads, "'Condemn me not for making such a coil about my book. "'Alas, it is my child. "'Just like a bird when her young are in nest, "'goes in and out, and hops and takes no rest. "'But when their young are fledged, their heads out peep. "'Lord, what a chirping does the old one keep. "'So I, for fear my strengthless child should fall "'against a door or stool, aloud I call, "'bid, have a care of such a dangerous place. "'Thus write I much to hinder all disgrace.'" Margaret wrote six books on natural philosophy, one that was dominated by men at the time. Her preferred school of thought shifted from atomism to vitalism to panpsychism, the notion that everything in nature has a soul. Margaret wrote at a feverish pace. In the preface to her 1666 book, Observations Upon Experimental Philosophy, she wrote that she expected readers to call her pace of writing a disease. She counted herself in good company as the sufferer of that disease, alongside Aristotle, Cicero, and Homer. After publication of that book, Margaret was invited to attend meetings at the Royal Society of London, which was a club of the greatest male minds of her day. She was the first woman to receive such an invitation. There, she rubbed elbows with famed philosophers including Thomas Hobbes, Rene Descartes, and Robert Boyle. Margaret also dove into the realm of science fiction. Her book, The Blazing World, is considered one of the earliest examples of the genre. The Blazing World is a romance set in a utopian world accessed via the North Pole. The protagonist is a young woman who happens upon the new land after a shipwreck. She becomes Empress and rules over humanesque animals. The book is particularly notable not only because it's the first science fiction novel, but also because its primary subject matter is women. Over the course of her life, Margaret published over a dozen original works, including multiple plays. She was known as a real character for her eccentric fashion sense and exuberant manner, and was later nicknamed Mad Madge. Margaret died on December 15th, 1673. She was around 50 years old. Margaret likely published more than any other woman in 17th century English society. Many of her books are still in print today. As always, we're taking a break for the weekend, so tune in on Monday for the story of Another Beautiful Mind. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you on Monday. 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