How were women defined in print?

The Tudors – Women and Print Culture, 1509-1603

In this course, Professor Helen Hackett (University College London) explores women and print culture in Tudor England. In the first module, we look at how women were defined in print and how Tudor print culture was used to write about women. In the second module, we shift our focus to look at Tudor women as readers. In the third and fourth modules, we turn to look at women as writers, first as translators, then as authors of original works. In the fifth and final module, we focus specifically on Elizabeth I and her relation to Tudor print culture.

How were women defined in print?

In this lecture, we look at how print culture was used to write about women in Tudor England, focusing in particular on: (i) the development of commercial printing and a thriving book trade in the late-16th century; (ii) the high interest in books on the nature and role of women and what these books said about women’s nature and role in the world; (iii) the emergence of the genre of conduct books; and (iv) the publication of printed works that defended women.