Virgin Mother, Maiden Queen - (Elizabeth I and the Cult of the Virgin Mary) by H Hackett (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Was Elizabeth I worshipped by her subjects? Many twentieth-century scholars have suggested that the Virgin Queen was a cult-figure who replaced the Virgin Mary. But how could this be in a Protestant state officially opposed to idolatry? Helen Hackett examines these issues through readings of a wide variety of Elizabethan texts. She traces some of the cross-currents in Elizabethan culture, and considers both Elizabeth and the Virgin Mary in terms of the history of representations of gender, sexuality and power.

Review Quotes

'The many layered myths and semi-myths about Elizabeth I ... are scrutinized in Hackett's admirably critical study' - Patrick Collinson, Regius Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge, in The Times Literary Supplement

'An incredibly unified and satisfying book which deserves ... to replace most other standard studies on reading lists' - Roger Winstanley, in The London Quarterly

'Impeccably researched and accessibly presented ... The interplay of literature, iconography, gender and politics is brilliantly handled' - Helen Wilcox, University of Groningen

'Helen Hackett's incisive re-evaluation and detailed contextualisation of iconography associated with Elizabeth I substantially challenges accepted wisdom' - Sue Wiseman, University of Warwick

'Hackett writes well and seriously ... Complexity, and the diverse means of perceiving a female figure in authority, are both part of Hackett's feminist thesis' - Alison Shell, in The Times Higher Education Supplement

About the Author

HELEN HACKETT is a Lecturer in the Department of English at University College London. She studied at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and was a Junior Research Fellow at Merton College, Oxford. She has written articles on women and writing in the Renaissance.