Poems and Fancies with The Animal Parliament

Among its many strengths, Siegfried’s edition enriches our understanding of Cavendish’s engagement with contemporary, especially mathematical thought, as well as with ancient Epicureanism. This accomplishment alone is of enormous value to Cavendish, to intellectual history, and to early modern women’s studies. The introduction is written with sufficient clarity to render it accessible to undergraduates as well as with a sophistication guaranteed to appeal to advanced scholars. The presentation of the texts together with the notes makes the volume highly usable to students at every level of expertise. The editor’s knowledge of relevant scholarship is impressive and never tendentious. Scholarship has a tendency to bog down; this volume provides a new, refreshing take on our understanding of the early modern period.—Reid BarbourRoy C. Moose Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Illustrations xvAbbreviations xviiAcknowledgments xixINTRODUCTION 1POEMS AND FANCIES with THE ANIMAL PARLIAMENT 57Dedications and Prefaces 58Part 1 75Part 2 138Part 3 226Part 4 275Part 5 308The Animal Parliament 347The Conclusion 363APPENDIX 1: Prose Omitted from the 1664 and 1668 Editions of Poems and Fancies 367APPENDIX 2: Comparative Sample Poems from the 1653 Edition of Poems and Fancies 369Bibliography 377Index of Poem Titles 401Index of First Lines 411Index 421