The Convent of Pleasure

by Margaret Cavendish, Sharon L. Jansen (Editor)

Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne was born in 1623 in Colchester, Essex into a family of comfortable means.

From an early age Margaret was already assembling her thoughts for future works despite the then conditions of society that women did not partake in public authorship. For England it was also a time of Civil War.

Despite these obvious dangers, Margaret asked her mother for permission to become one of her Ladies-in-waiting. She was accepted and, in 1644, accompanied the Queen into exile in France. This took her away from her family for the first time.

Despite living at the Court of the young King Louis XIV, life for the young Margaret was not what she expected. She was far from her home and her confidence had been replaced by shyness and difficulties fitting in to the grandeur of her surroundings and the eminence of her company.

Margaret told her mother she wanted to leave the Court. Her mother was adamant that she should stay. She provided additional funds for her to make life easier. It was now also that she met and married William Cavendish who, at the time, was the Marquis of Newcastle. He was also 30 years her senior and previously married with two children.

As Royalists, a return to life in England was not yet possible. They would remain in exile in Paris, Rotterdam and Antwerp until the restoration of the crown in 1660 although Margaret was able to return for attention to some estate matters.

Along with her husband's brother, she travelled to England after having been told that her husband's estate was to be sold and that she, as his wife, would receive some benefit of the sale. She received nothing. She left England to be with her husband again.

The couple were devoted to each other. Margaret wrote that he was the only man she was ever in love with, loving him not for title, wealth or power, but for merit, justice, gratitude, duty, and fidelity. She also relied upon him for support in her career. The marriage provided no children despite efforts made by her physician to overcome her inability to conceive.

Margaret’s first book, ‘Poems and Fancies’, was published in 1653; it was a collection of poems, epistles and prose pieces which explores her philosophical, scientific and aesthetic ideas.

For a woman at this time writing and publishing were avenues they had great difficulty in pursuing. She wrote across a number of issues including gender, power, manners, scientific method, and philosophy.

She always claimed she had too much time on her hands and was therefore able to indulge her love of writing. As a playwright she produced many works although most are as closet dramas. (This is a play not intended to be performed onstage, but instead read by a solitary reader). For Margaret the rigours of exile, her gender and Cromwell’s closing of the theatres mean this was her early vehicle of choice and, despite these handicaps, she became one of the most well-known playwrights in England)

Her utopian romance, ‘The Blazing World’, is one of the earliest examples of science fiction. Margaret also published extensively in natural philosophy and early modern science; at least a dozen books.

She was the first woman to attend a meeting at Royal Society of London in 1667 and she criticized and engaged with members and philosophers Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, and Robert Boyle.

Margaret was always defended against any criticism by her husband and he also contributed to some of her works. She also gives him credit as her writing tutor.

Perhaps a little strangely she said her ambition despite her shyness, was to have everlasting fame. During her career, from the mid 1650’s until her death, she was prolific.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Read For School, School, LGBT, Feminism, Drama

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1668

About the author

Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, was the youngest child of a wealthy Essex family. At the age of 20 she became Maid of Honour to Queen Henrietta Maria and traveled with her into Persian exile in 1644. There she married William Cavendish, Marquis (later Duke) of Newcastle.

Between 1653 and 1668 she published many books on a wide variety of subjects, including many stories that are now regarded as some of the earliest examples of science fiction.

Reviews

[Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

make the ending gayer you coward

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“More innocent Lovers never can there be,
Then my most Princely Lover, that's a She.

Nor never Convent did such pleasures give,
Where Lovers with their Mistresses may live.”

——————————————

“Can any Love be more vertuous, innocent and harmless than ours?”

[cranbelries · Rating 4 out of 5]

do they know it’s legal now

[Alex Abrahams · Rating 3 out of 5]

choosing to believe the princess is a trans woman so the ending is still lesbian rights

[Olivia's Bookish Places & Spaces]

I honestly have no idea what to make of this. I have never read anything quite like it...

[Bella Dufresne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lesbians! Lesbians! Lesbians!

[hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

more 17th century lesbians please

[Eline]

kunnen mannen zich ook gewoon bemoeien met hun eigen zaken????

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious, and examines the nature of class and gender relations to comedy. While reading, question - is this truly a comedy? Is the ending happy for everyone? Who is Lady Happy directing her convent for? Remember, "Happy" at the time meant more "fortunate, wealthy, lucky" than it does now. Words are fascinating, why are you laughing?

[Amarah H-S]

this is wildly funny, as a play from the 17th century has no right to be

[Visfrietje · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sex story

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t care about anyone’s interpretations except mine because mines obviously the only correct one. this is inherently a queer story, specifically love between two women, that was construed to seem like a heterosexual romance because the author was closeted. there, I said it. the ending was shocking and disappointing. to find out my lesbian lovers were in fact actually just a man pretending to be a woman in order to wriggle his way into a women’s only space was actually a horror story! my poor girl Lady Happy got trapped into that marriage and she knows it 🫩 and Cavendish, I know what you are…

[Celia T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold...

[Sita · Rating 4 out of 5]

LESBIANISM!!!

[annie york · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know… I hate that we had to go and get rid of the lesbians at the very last second but Margaret Cavendish doesn’t care what I think and for that she gets five stars

[Mariana Loureiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

o final tem um temp diferente do restante da peça, mas ainda assim é muito boa

[bente · Rating 4 out of 5]

i will now create my own convent of pleasure. who wants to join?

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

ugh just another case of men ruining everything

[Finn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The twist reveal of the “princess” nearly ruined the whole story for me but then Cavendish ends it with a character literally saying “if you don’t like this play I don’t care” and honestly I just have to respect her. The first few acts were very entertaining and fun and if she hadn’t bent to the demands of heteronormativity then it could’ve been fantastic, honestly.

[Emma Bussolotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've had dreams exactly like this

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sapphic fever dream. Possibly the best play ever written.

[Claudiafoxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

LET THEM BE LESBIANS!! NO MORE PRETEND LESBIANS WHO TURN OUT TO BE HETERONORMATIVE PLEASE

[amelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

dont mind me just adding the books i read for uni!

this was fun, i ALSO think society would be better without men! men dont bring pleasure, they only bring pain!

the ending was confusing and disappointing though (if you know you know)

[Robin]

wild

[T.B. Caine · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun!

also very gay (until the ending)

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing but respect for my queen 👸

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved that most of act 3 is a critique of marriage, bummed that the play ended with marriage but what can ya do.

[Sophia]

WHAT?!??? WHAT!!!!!!!

[Hannah H · Rating 5 out of 5]

inspiring. has made me write creatively for the first time in months

[whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

the ending was unfortunate