Laura Lunger Knoppers, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Laura Lunger Knoppers, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Linda Woodbridge, Committee Member Ryan Andrew Stark, Committee Member Joan Landes, Committee Member
Keywords:
early modern drama early modern literature midwives midwifery manuals
Abstract:
This dissertation traces the development of the textual midwife in a variety of English works printed in the 16th and 17th centuries. I argue that, rather than being a “flat” character or term, the midwife functions in three separate manners: as a professional (with medical and religious responsibilities), as a rhetorical trope, and as a dramatic character (primarily comedic). Although interrelated, each of these functions must be read under different rubrics from the others, particularly since each gains and loses significance as historical events progress. Texts examined in detail include midwifery manuals by Thomas Raynalde, Nicholas Culpeper, and Jane Sharp; dramas by Edward Sharpham, Peter Hausted, Richard Brome, and Ben Jonson; and the complete works of Margaret Cavendish.
