Gender and Scientific Discourse in Early Modern Culture (Literary and Scientific Cultures of Early Modernity)

1. Pico, Paracelsus and Dee : the magical measure of human perfectibility / Elliott M. Simon -- 2. Guillaume Postel, the Shechinah and the feminine principle / Alain Ekorong -- 3. Odd bodies : reviewing corporeal difference in early modern alchemy / Kathleen P. Long -- 4. "Put out of her course" : images of the monstrous in de Bry's Illustrations of Atalanta fugiens and the America / Sean Teuton -- 5. The animal within : chivalry, monstrosity and gender in Renaissance Spain / Simone Pinet -- 6. Experiments with alchemy : Caterina Sforza in early modern scientific culture / Meredith K. Ray -- 7. Madame de la Martinville, Quercitan's daughter and the philosopher's stone : manuscript representations of women alchemists / Penny Bayer -- 8. Women and chymistry in early modern England : the Manuscript receipt book (c. 1616) of Sarah Wigges / Jayne Elisabeth Archer -- 9. Cats on a windowsill : an alchemical study of Marie de Gournay / Dorothea Heitsch -- 10. Whither childbearing : gender, status and the professionalization of medicine in early modern France / Bridgette Sheridan -- 11. Touching and telling : gendered variations on a gynecological theme / Kirk D. Read. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 List of Contributors 12 Acknowledgments 16 Introduction: Gender and Scientific Discourse in Early Modern Culture 18 1 Pico, Paracelsus, and Dee: The Magical Measure of Human Perfectibility 30 2 Guillaume Postel, the Shechinah, and the Feminine Principle 58 3 Odd Bodies: Reviewing Corporeal Difference in Early Modern Alchemy 80 4 “Put Out of Her Course”: Images of the Monstrous in de Bry’s Illustrations of Atalanta fugiens and the America 104 5 The Animal Within: Chivalry, Monstrosity, and Gender in Renaissance Spain 132 6 Experiments with Alchemy: Caterina Sforza in Early Modern Scientific Culture 156 7 Madame de la Martinville, Quercitan’s Daughter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Manuscript Representations of Women Alchemists 182 8 Women and Chymistry in Early Modern England: The Manuscript Receipt Book (c. 1616) of Sarah Wigges 208 9 Cats on a Windowsill: An Alchemical Study of Marie de Gournay 234 10 Whither Childbearing: Gender, Status, and the Professionalization of Medicine in Early Modern France 256 11 Touching and Telling: Gendered Variations on a Gynecological Theme 276 Bibliography 296 Index 322 In the wake of new interest in alchemy as more significant than a bizarre aberration in rational Western European culture, this collection examines both alchemical and medical discourses in the larger context of early modern Europe. How do early scientific discourses infiltrate other cultural domains such as literature, philosophy, court life, and the conduct of households? How do these new contexts deflect scientific pursuits into new directions, and allow a larger participation in the elaboration of scientific methods and perspectives? Might there have been a scientific subculture, particularly surrounding alchemy, which allowed women to participate in scientific pursuits long before they were admitted in an investigative capacity into official academic settings? This volume poses those questions, as a starting point for a broader discussion of scientific subcultures and their relationship to the restructuring and questioning of gender roles. "This collection proposes an exploration of the relationship of women and questions of gender to the scientific domain in early modern Europe, particularly but not exclusively continental Europe. The essays in this volume present new views of this relationship by scrutinizing two very different fields: alchemy, where the existence of women practitioners has gone largely unacknowledged until quite recently, and obstetrics, a field in which women lost considerable ground as practitioners over the course of the seventeenth century."--Introduction, p. [1] In the wake of new interest in alchemy as more significant than a bizarre aberration in rational Western European culture, this collection examines both alchemical and medical discourses in the larger context of early modern Europe. This volume investigates issues of gender and scientific discourse as a starting point for a broader discussion of early modern scientific subcultures and their relationship to the restructuring and questioning of gender roles