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Trevino 1 Samantha Trevino Mrs. Kim Bauman British Literature I 8 December 2016

An Analysis Isabella Whitney and Mary Herbert’s Literary Work Even though their published work serves drastically different purposes, both Isabella Whitney and Mary Herbert were female writers in the late 1500’s. Whitney published The Manner of Her Will in 1573 (Carrol and Hadfield). Sometimes referred to as Will and Testament, the piece is a farewell to London as she is pushed into the decision to leave the city. Mary Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, on the other hand, worked to finish the translations of Psalms her brother started in the 1580’s (Hannay). Whitney and Herbert are similar in the way that both of them wrote work to later be published in books. Because their writings were composed in the same time period, there are some similarities in their cultural contexts, literary styles, and aesthetic principals. Like today, the time of Whitney was by no means free of religious conflict. In August of 1572, French Catholics massacred French Protestants. This was not a singular incident. Across , there were thousands being killed because of their beliefs (Alchin). According to Linda Alchin, this caused a wave of worry to sweep over England for anxieties of a Catholic attack. At the time, Queen Elizabeth I was in reign. Queen Elizabeth established and became the Supreme Governor of the English Protestant church. She was known as a moderate, cautious ruler that did not regularly seek persecution or have children. Like Queen Elizabeth, Whitney did not take the problems and worries of the country too seriously (Alchin). Instead of writing of war or religion, Whitney wrote about her feelings concerning not being able to afford London and other material things. With no mention of politics in The Manner of Her Will, she wrote a lighter and more

Trevino 2 relatable piece. It is assumed that Whitney left Cheshire for London to seek employment or diversion. In fact, it was not just her that left the city in defeat of not being able to herself. Many English villagers sought to find work in the large city (Carrol and Hadfield). In the context of modern times, reading Will and Testament is watching a housewife from Real Housewives of Atlanta going through foreclosure in 2008. It is comforting entertainment. Furthermore, the poem’s purpose is not to solely preserve the historical context of the feel and setting London streets in 1570, but it tells a timeless story of moving to a large city and failing. It was relatable to 1500’s aspiring Londoners, but also to today’s young people trying to find their place in the world (Gregerson). Perhaps that is why Whitney’s work is worth being discussed in 2016. As a woman in 1570, Mary Herbert’s first priority was to serve men. Over time, she became close to her brother, Phillip. As children from an aristocratic home, they received a quality education (Hannay). Phillip wrote and translated Psalms, but in 1586, he ed away. Herbert continued where her brother left off (Psalm 43) and finished the book. A woman that could and would be willing to do this was uncommon. Nevertheless, Herbert was encouraged by her colleagues. Even though the translations seemingly allowed no room to insert her opinion on history or religion, she fed into the movement by translating the Bible. She used her translations to comment on current events and politics, especially the attacks on the Protestants by the Catholics (Hannay). Sometime after her brother’s death, she translated Psalm 71: In Te Domini Speravi. In the midst of the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants, this piece which translates to, “I put my trust in You, Lord,” reminded the people to put their faith in God. In the twenty-year span that these women wrote, Catholics attacked Protestants, Mary Queen of Scots was executed for plotting against Queen Elizabeth, and England goes to war with

Trevino 3 Spain (Alchin). Whitney and Herbert did not write explicitly about these topics like some of their male contemporaries. Whitney provided material to get readers’ attentions away from the conflict while Herbert finished her brother’s religious project for her community with adding individual opinion. According to the Poetry Foundation, Isabella Whitney was the first woman to have written secular English poetry for publication. Whitney’s art was more for entertainment of the public than to add historical interpretation. However, Will and Testament is close to a journal entry in the way that it was a narrative of her current, personal trials. Michael Best stated that her work is, “designed to appeal to public taste at a time when devotional literature and translations of men’s work was considered to be the only proper literary work for women.” In The Manner of Her Will, Whitney promotes individuality and independence over owing everything to God. Despite creating her own work and not mentioning God, she does not cite science in her poems. Granted, that is probably because most of her work is about romance, friendship, and life’s challenges (Carrol and Hadfield). Although Whitney was the first English woman to publish a volume of poetry, her life is not well documented outside of her own writings. At the time, the government saw women with less worth than men. Conceivably, Whitney gained her courage to print her secular, original, work through her country’s leader, Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth, also known as The Virgin Queen, who once said, “I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married,” never married (Alchin). Conversely, Mary Herbert wrote in the traditional way of translating devotional work. However, it was rare that a woman received such an education so that she could translate the Bible (Poetry Foundation). In this way, she contributed to her Protestant community in return for

Trevino 4 the she received from them. John Aubrey called her social circle a “college” (Carrol and Hadfield). Whitney and Herbert grew up with the same culture around them, but one tested her limits as a woman. Both women were intelligent and were considered good at what they did. Whitney was a pioneer. Even though Mary Herbert took a feminine role in writing (translating men’s work), she took her stand in using her name. It was uncommon for a woman to use her name in the credits of the publication. Herbert was also praised because she translated the words with emotion and conveyed the intensity intended while adding her commentary including her experiences as a mother (Poetry Foundation). Whitney derived her style from her male colleagues. While it was uncommon for women to write in her style, men had already been practicing it (Mann). Most of her work is written in a ballad measure. The Manner of Her Will is a ballad because it is a short-stanza poem that narrates a story. In the ballads, she uses hyperboles, allusions, and wit to get her point across. She is considered to be a forerunner for women in this type of poetry. When Whitney used this style, she paved a path for future female writers. It was not new for a woman to translate the Bible or any man’s work. However, Herbert made her translations her own by intertwining her personal experiences in the verses (Poetry Foundation). The Poetry Foundation states that Herbert, “incorporated her experience at Elizabeth's court, as well as female experiences of marriage and childbirth,” into her pieces. She did this by expanding on the metaphors already in the Bible. In the Hebrew descriptions, she would add some details of her own to make the English translation more personal. Other writers did this too, but Mary’s experiences were her own. This s for some discrepancies in translations of the same book by different people.

Trevino 5 Both Whitney and Herbert were doing work that men had already done. Nevertheless, the were setting an example for future women in literature. In contrast, Whitney had more freedom in her writing style because she was creating her own content. Herbert was translating content, but in the process, she found creative ways leave her input. The Manner of Her Will beautifully describes the city of London, it’s streets, and people. The poem is a will, not for physical death, but the death of her social life and everyday relationship with London. It is unusual for its time period because it does not mention God or any other divine being. The poem does not feel godless because hope is not lost in the words. Even though the narrator being forced to move out of a city she loves, the poem is not depressing. It is a testament that the world cannot be controlled. It seems as if the author would have done almost anything to stay in her place, but for some reason she could not afford it. The poem is a cathartic read, but it is meaningful. Even if it is not meant to be, subconsciously, it will be analyzed. Because the poem is so relatable, people will look for similarities in their own life and compare it to the ballad. Compared other work written in her time, the language Whitney used is fun and easy to read. Nearly 500 years later, it is a relevant piece about struggle, identity, and independence. In 1599, Herbert completed translating Psalms. The purpose of translating the text was to provide a script for mediation and singing. (Poetry Foundation). Verses of Psalms are analyzed everyday. They’re supposed to be taken apart, studied, and dissected for lessons. They serve a practical purpose. It is a backbone of a church. Herbert finished her brother’s work to give back to her God. Even though Herbert compromised the integrity of Psalms, she added her artistic value.

Trevino 6 Isabella Whitney and Mary Herbert contributed to 16th century literature in dissimilar ways. Ultimately, they were their surroundings were the same, but did not affect them or their writing in a similar manner.

Works Cited

Trevino 7 Alchin, L.K. "Timeline of Queen Elizabeth I". 2015. 15 October 2016 . Best, Michael. “Isabella Whitney.” Shakespeare’s Life and Times. Internet Shakespeare Editions. Carrol, Clare and Andrew Hadfield. The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Fourth Edition. Vol. IB. Ney York: Longman, 2010. 1041-58. Gregerson, Linda. "Isabella Whitney's "Wyll and Testament"". April 2007. 14 October 2016 . Hannay, Margaret. "Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke (1561-1621)". 2000. 15 October 2016 . Mann, Paisley. "Isabella Whitney". 4 June 2016. 14 October 2016 . Poetry Foundation. Isabella Whitney. 2016. 14 October 2016 . —. Poetry Foundation. 2016. 14 October 2016 .