Shakespeare’s Sisters: Four Women Who Wrote the Renaissance

by Ramie Targoff
Shakespeare’s Sisters: Four Women Who Wrote the Renaissance cover
Good Books rating 4.5
Technical
  • ID: 3072
  • Added: 2025-10-16
  • Updated: 2025-10-16
  • Reviews: 2
Reviews
shop.shakespearesglobe.com · Unknown · 2025-10-19
insightful 4.50

Shakespeare’s Sisters by Ramie Targoff highlights the contributions of four women writers during the Renaissance, offering a fresh perspective on the era. The book sheds light on their literary achievements and the challenges they faced, providing a compelling narrative that enriches our understanding of the period.

Shakespeare’s Sisters by Ramie Targoff is a fascinating exploration of four women who made significant contributions to literature during the Renaissance. The book delves into the lives and works of these women, showcasing their talent and resilience in a male-dominated field. Targoff’s research is thorough, and the narrative is engaging, making it a valuable addition to the study of Renaissance literature. The book not only highlights their achievements but also the societal barriers they had to overcome, offering a more inclusive view of the era. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in literary history and the role of women in shaping it.

Quick quotes

    They were not just writing in the shadow of Shakespeare, but were influential in their own right.

    Targoff’s detailed research brings these women’s stories to life.

    The book is a testament to the enduring power of literature and the importance of recognizing all voices from the past.

newbooksnetwork.com · Unknown · 2024-11-20
insightful 4.50

Shakespeare’s Sisters explores the lives and works of four female writers in Elizabethan and Jacobean England, highlighting their struggles and achievements against a patriarchal backdrop. The book challenges Virginia Woolf's assertion that women's literary gifts were thwarted during this era, showcasing how these women navigated male expectations to make their voices heard.

Ramie Targoff's Shakespeare’s Sisters delves into the lives of four remarkable women—Anne Clifford, Mary Sidney, Aemilia Lanyer, and Elizabeth Cary—who defied the odds to become prominent writers in a time when women's education and literary pursuits were heavily restricted. The book provides a vivid account of their personal battles and the strategies they employed to assert their rights and publish their work. For instance, Mary Sidney initially published under her brother's name, while Elizabeth Cary concealed her identity to avoid scrutiny. This collective biography not only challenges Virginia Woolf's views on the limitations faced by women writers but also underscores the quality and reception of their work, offering a nuanced understanding of their contributions to the Renaissance.

Quick quotes

    This lively, accessible insight into a quartet of female writers in Elizabethan and Jacobean England explores the complex political, patriarchal and religious backdrop to their lives.

    Most striking is the way the women had to accommodate a world of male expectations and bend their way around it.

    These women and their writings are not unknown, but to see their individual and occasionally interwoven stories set out side by side is to understand with greater clarity that, while Woolf was not wrong about the obstacles faced by female writers, she was mistaken about the quality and reception of their work.

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