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Name: Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Lifetime: 1623 – December 15, 1673

What she’s known for: As the Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Margaret Cavendish was one of the most prolific female writers of the 17th century. She was considered a rather eccentric woman in her fashion choices and in her ideas about men and women, natural philosophy and government. Not content to live idly, she dedicated her life to writing and learning about the natural world.

Why we love her: Margaret Cavendish was an enthusiastic feminist. In 1655, Margaret Cavendish declared in her “Philosophical and Physical Opinions” that women “are kept like birds in cages to hop up and down in our houses … our counsels are despised, and laught at, the best of our actions are troden down with scorn, by the over-weaning conceit men have of themselves.” This tells you immediately that this well-spoken woman was not the sort to ignore inequality, a theme that is threaded throughout much of her writing.

But of all she did, she is best remembered for her science fiction writing. In 1666 she published her novel “The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World.” This novel is perhaps the first work of science fiction written by a woman. In it, a maiden passes into a new world, where she discovers a land of strange men such as bear-men, fish-men, and people with green, orange, red and purple skin. 

Fun fact: No woman at the time but Margaret Cavendish would have thought to create an entire fantastical world in her mind. Not only that, but she deliberately wrote her main character as a female in a position of power. At a time when she could not expect a great deal of support from male authors and authorities, Cavendish created an entire world of science fiction, caring little for the opinions of those who did not support her writing.

Clearly, the Duchess was a feminist to be reckoned with in the 17th century. And thanks to the fact that she was such a prolific writer, she is not a feminist that will be forgotten any time soon, thus upholding her own words, “I would rather die in the adventure of noble achievements than live in obscure and sluggish security.”

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