Title page for ETD etd-05072009-155703

Type of Document

Thesis

Author

Jackson, Elizabeth

URN

etd-05072009-155703

Title

The Golden Speech; A Look at the Legacy of the Last Speech by Queen Elizabeth I to Parliament

Degree

Master of Arts

Department

English, Department of

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name	Title
A.E.B. Coldiron	Committee Chair
Elizabeth Spiller	Committee Member
Meegan Kennedy Hanson	Committee Member

Keywords

Parliamentary rhetoric

Date of Defense

2009-03-24

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

For my project, I have taken Queen Elizabeth I’s last speech to Parliament in November 1601, the Golden Speech, and looked at every time it was printed under King James I, King Charles I, the Interregnum, and King Charles II. The first chapter explores the rhetorical techniques Elizabeth employed. The second chapter examines the historical context surrounding each time the speech was reprinted in 1628, 1642, 1647, 1659, and 1679. The final chapter compares the paratexts of each edition with the printing trends and technologies available at that particular time.

My research is beneficial to two areas of study. First, to early modern scholarship: with new technology, we are able to learn more and more about this period. The Renaissance owns many brilliant writers and thinkers. Projects like mine let us rediscover genius in a new fashion: through a printer’s brain, or through a later generation’s reception. For example, how do Elizabeth’s strong words of leadership help us better understand the leadership in the century following her death? Printers have the power to change interpretations.

Secondly, in the plight for women’s recognition: in many ways, we have tokenized Elizabeth, exploring her rhetoric as maternal or virginal, lauding her ability to use her gender as a means of power. When all is said and done, she was a good leader, woman or not. If we can study her and her legacy and influence outside of her gender, we might do more for feminism than to constantly recognize her gender along with her power.

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