Margaret Cavandish

Margaret Cavendish was a woman of firsts, and especially displayed brilliance and freedom of thought in works of science fiction like The Blazing World. Her enthusiasm for science was reflected in books and poems where she focuses on ideas such as the smallness of an atom. She was the first woman in England who wrote mainly for publication. Despite staunchly traditional politics, and a posture of exaggerated deference towards her husband, she was capable of bold feminist statements. Margaret Cavendish returned to England, for a time in November of 1651. During that year she spent her days and nights writing her first book, a collection of poems entitled Poems and Fancies. Margaret was viewed by her contemporaries as being rather eccentric. She was extravagent and flirtatious, accused of using speech full of 'oaths and obscenity', and was noted for her unusual sense of fashion. This reputation for eccentricity survives today, when Margaret is widely referred to as 'Mad Madge'. Margaret's most notable achievement was undoubtedly literary. She was a prolific author, publishing poems, plays, literary critiques, volumes of 'observations', even works on natural philosophy.