Rachel Speght and English Renaissance Gender Ideology: Exploring Her Pamphlet: A Mouzell for Melastomus and Its Context

In this dissertation, I present the author, Rachel Speght, and her polemical and political pamphlet, A Mouzell for Melastomus (1617). The thesis aims to explain the concept of gender in Early Modern England in the context of the writer’s publication and her interaction with her contemporaries’ sexist discourses. Therefore, the research operates on a social, literary, political, and religious level. The analysis demonstrates Speght’s denunciation towards the oppressive, misogynistic debates of the Jacobean Period by entering the English Renaissance gender dispute. Besides the historical background of both the pamphleteer and her tract, the work discusses the various issues of the struggle for gender equality in A Mouzell. Moreover, the dissertation presents Speght’s unconventional rhetoric, her political critique veiled by her strategic satirical tone, and her subversive use of Biblical verses to defend women. Furthermore, the research highlights the pamphlet's proto-feminist ends through her original interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. The writer acts as a catalyst for what will be known as the ‘Swetnam Controversy’ or ‘Jacobean Pamphlet War’. The dissertation also explains how, by proudly signing her pamphlet, Speght marked a turning point, inspiring other Jacobean women to fight for gender equality. This thesis sheds light on the misogynistic English Renaissance and how writers, such as Rachel Speght, challenged their contemporary patriarchal society, reshaping the print culture and respect for their sex.