Maids and Mistresses, Cousins Queens

These essays consider women's alliances in early modern England, ranging over a variety of communities and classes of women to explore the traces of women's connections. The essays, combining literary and historical methods and materials, are informed by feminism, queer theory, and studies of race. This collection of sixteen essays considers evidence for the array of women's alliances in early modern England. The inclusions range over a variety of communities--cities, households, and court--and consider classes of women from vagabonds to queens to explore the traces of women's connections. These clear and lively interdisciplinary essays, combining literary and historical methods and materials, are informed by feminism, queer theory, and studies of race in the early modern period.