Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA
Date of Award
8-2010
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Literature
First Advisor
Dr. Gary Schneider
Second Advisor
Dr. David Anshen
Third Advisor
Dr. Rebecca Mitchell
Abstract
Isabella Whitney, the first woman to publish secular verse under her own name, is generally considered by scholars in terms of gender. My thesis argues she should be seen, instead, through her identity as a working-class writer. Her book of poetry, A Sweet Nosgay (1573), is shaped by her efforts to make her way in the world of print publication by commodifying creativity into a product. My thesis assesses the content of her poetry on the basis of class, which was the impetus for this commodification. My focus gives full authority to her as a Renaissance writer, one who resists many social and cultural constraints, and who used a variety of literary strategies to engage the working class.
Granting Institution
University of Texas-Pan American
Comments
Copyright 2010 Janette Cavazos. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/commodifying-creativity-class-labor-authorship/docview/760046731/se-2