Women, the Novel, and Natural Philosophy, 1660–1727

255 Pages·2014·1.357 MB·English

by  Karen Bloom Gevirtz (auth.)

Women, the Novel, and Natural Philosophy, 1660–1727
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Women, the Novel, and Natural
Philosophy, 1660–1727
Karen Bloom Gevirtz
WOMEN, THE NOVEL, AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, 1660–1727
Copyright © Karen Bloom Gevirtz, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-38920-6
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States— a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-48230-6 ISBN 978-1-137-38676-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9781137386762
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the
Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Knowledge Works (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: March 2014
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Naomi, Ben, and Stephen
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
One Notions of the Self 15
Two An Ingenious Romance: The Stable Self 35
Three The Fly’s Eye: The Composite Self 71
Four The Detached Observer 101
Five The Moral Observer 127
Conclusion 167
Notes 173
Bibliography 217
Index 239
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Acknowledgments
Thanking the many people who have made this book possible is one
of the great pleasures of such a project. It gives me considerable sym-
pathy for my authors, who in their different ways rejected the notion
of isolated genius and recognized that the interaction between indi-
vidual and context is necessary to creation.
The cover image, “Self-portrait” (“Selbstbildnis”) by Angelika
Kauffmann (1780–81), is used with permission of the Bundner
Kunstmuseum Chur. I wish to thank Nicole Seeberger for guiding me
through the process with the museum. Parts of chapter 2 appeared
in “Aphra Behn and the Scientific Self,” in The New Science and
Women’s Literary Discourse: Prefiguring Frankenstein, edited by
Judy Hayden (2011, Palgrave Macmillan) and are reproduced with
permission of Palgrave Macmillan.
Seton Hall University provided resources that enabled the comple-
tion of this study. Dr. Larry Robinson, Provost of Seton Hall University,
granted a sabbatical. The University Research Council awarded a sum-
mer stipend and then-Interim Dean Joan Guetti secured additional
funding for travel. Mary Balkun, Chair of the English Department
and the members of the English Department provided funding
and approved time for my research. Rebecca Warren, Department
Secretary, offered good cheer and administrative support.
A number of colleagues at Seton Hall have also been integral to
my work. Dermot Quinn and James McCartin (now at Fordham
University) inspired me with their erudition and love of learning; they
made Bacon, Hobbes, and Locke wondrous and thrilling. Anthony
Lee, Marta Deyrup, Lisa Rose-Wiles, Martha Loesch, and Mabel
Wong at Walsh Library exemplify generosity, resourcefulness, and
determination. Jonathan Farina, Donovan Sherman, and Angela
Weisl heroically read chapters and offered keen commentary and
suggestions. Last but far from least, thanks to Anthony Sciglitano,
Williamjames Hoffer, Amy Hunter, and James P. Kimble.
I am grateful to many colleagues beyond Seton Hall. Rupert Baker,
Library Manager at The Royal Society, provided thoughtful, invalu-
able assistance. The librarians at the University of Chicago Library
and the New York Public Library, including the Rare Books and
Manuscripts Division, were helpful and kind. Maureen Duffy, Rachel