The Letters of Luisa de Carvajal y Mendoza
Editor: Glyn Redworth
Contributing Editor: Christopher J Henstock
978 1 84893 218 0: 234x156mm: £195.00/$335.00
Luisa de Carvajal y Mendoza (1566–1614) was a noblewoman who left her native Spain for a life of self-imposed exile and Catholic evangelism in Jacobean England. Her letters provide an unparalleled resource of information on day-to-day life in London at this time, as well as providing a window on to the clandestine operations of the Catholic community. Luisa was not just an observer, but was actively involved in events which include the Gunpowder Plot, royal marriages, the Irish parliamentary crisis of 1613, the Oath of Allegiance, the Dutch Revolt and descriptions of Newgate prison.
Not only are the subjects addressed here of paramount historical importance, but as examples of gendered writing from this period they are unique. Previous examinations of women’s writing at this time have suggested a male dictatorial ‘voice’. This edition demonstrates that Luisa’s use of language and her writing techniques show an ability to compose in a variety of styles, depending on the identity of the recipient.
There are 180 letters, newly translated and set in context with introductory matter and headnotes. A list of dramatis personae is provided to allow further understanding of the agents involved. The collection will be of value to scholars researching Jacobean London, religious studies, English political history and gender studies.
- Results from a three-year research project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council
- Letters are newly translated, making them available to English-speaking scholars for the first time
- Unique resource of female-authored letters from Jacobean England
- Provides documentary evidence of Catholicism in England
- Edited by author of The She-Apostle: The Extraordinary Life and Death of Luisa de Carvajal (OUP, 2008)
- Editorial apparatus includes a lengthy general introduction, headnotes, footnotes and a consolidated index
Related titles
- Angels and Belief in England, 1480–1700
- Conduct Literature for Women, Part I, 1500–1640
- English Catholicism, 1680–1830
- English Convents in Exile, 1600–1800
- Marriage and its Dissolution in Early Modern England
- Militant Protestantism and British Identity, 1603–1642
- The Religious Culture of Marian England