Brilliantly researched and a fascinating insight into this amazing woman and the world through which she moved.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Margaret Cavendish just lately. She’s obvious “trending”. So I was delighted to read this comprehensive and well-researched biography of her. She was a remarkable woman, especially for her time, being born in 1623 and growing up to experience both the Civil War and the Restoration. An eccentric by anyone’s standards, she was above all a writer, and this at a time when very few women wrote, or were even literate. And she wrote about everything that came to her attention, including penning what has become to be considered the first science fiction novel, The Blazing World. The biography explores not just Margaret’s life and works, although it does this fully, but also places her in her time and place and discusses the history, society, the politics and culture and the natural philosophy ideas and concepts that Margaret was involved in. The style is lively and accessible and I very much enjoyed it.

I heard about Margareth Cavendish but never read a biography. It was informative, fascinating and made me learn about an unusual and strong woman.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Ah, a woman after my own heart. A women unafraid to speak her mind and to be herself at the risk of being ridiculed and put down by society. But also a woman courageous enough to better herself, to learn new things and to change her opinions when she had new proof, new information. And not to mentioned she did all this at a time where it was not so easy, no matter how privileged you were, to be different.

I really loved Francesca Peacock's portrait of Margaret Cavendish. I felt she has tried to present us with all her sides, all her contradictions, to show to us a complex woman who has develop across the years. But Peacock also made sense of the historical scene, which added an extra layer to this biography, helping the reader to understand the background and also to place Cavendish in the larger image of Britain in the 17th century.

Born into aristocracy in 1623, Margaret Cavendish defied societal norms by writing extensively on gender, science, and philosophy under her own name during a turbulent period of English history. After joining Queen Henrietta Maria's court during the English Civil War, she endured exile in France and formed a lasting partnership with William Cavendish, Marquess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Her magnum opus, "The Blazing World," published in 1666, is considered an early work of science fiction. In "Pure Wit," Francesca Peacock sheds light on the captivating and pioneering life of Margaret Cavendish, a brilliant proto-feminist whose legacy remains a subject of debate and often overshadowed by history.
When I first saw this, I was interested to learn more about what the first science fiction could be. I was also intrigued to know more about this writer, since I had never heard of her before. However, to be honest, I hadn’t heard of many of the comparison writers the author included.
I was expecting more of a biography about her life, but what this felt like was more of a discussion about Margaret Cavendish’s philosophy, which I have little interest in. While the events of Margaret Cavendish’s early life inspire sympathy, I didn’t find much to admire about much of her life, with her outlandish dress (putting her breasts on display) and declaring herself a princess. I found myself slogging through most of this book.
Clearly, I was not the intended reader for this book. Others may find it more interesting than I did.

Francesca Peacock’s Pure Wit: The Revolutionary Life of Margaret Cavendish covers not just the life of Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, (1623-73), but also discusses her books and philosophy. Peacock insists that Cavendish was really shy; and that’s why she was such an extrovert. However, I am unconvinced that we can apply the adjective “shy” to anyone who went to the theatre in 1667 wearing such a low-cut dress that her breasts (“with scarlet-trimmed nipples”) were “all laid out to view”. Before that, Samuel Pepys had written “The whole story of this lady is a romance, and all she do is romantic”. However, after he met her at the Royal Society, he stated that he “did not like her at all.” Virginia Woolf wrote, almost four hundred years later, “the crazy Duchess became a bogey to frighten clever girls with.” Subsequent biographers, such as Mark Lower and Katie Whitaker, have christened her “Mad Madge”. Peacock vehemently rejects that nickname and tries to persuade us that Cavendish was simply unappreciated and denigrated by the patriarchy.

Margaret Lucas was twenty-two when she met William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, who was thirty years older than her. It was definitely a love match – it appears he was besotted with her. Although they were not Catholics, they supported the Royalist cause and thus went into exile overseas with the Carolingian court. William had been Charles II’s tutor and Margaret was a lady-in-waiting to his queen, Henrietta Maria.

The book does a good job of showing us Margaret Cavendish’s heart-breaking life prior to Charles II’s restoration. The Civil War was brutal. In 1648, the Roundheads laying siege to Colchester broke open the vault of St John’s Abbey; cut off the hair of Margaret’s recently deceased mother and sister; and pranced around, using the hair as wigs, before scattering the bones of other decomposed ancestors. Margaret’s brother, Sir Charles Lucas, was shot by the Roundheads when the siege ended. However, the author is very keen to discuss Cavendish’s philosophy, as evidenced in the books she wrote in exile and after her return to England. Although this is a biography of Cavendish, in that we’re given her life story, a significant part of the book discusses her literary work – and part of that delves quite deeply into her philosophy. I confess that I’m not really interested in Cavendish’s views about the relationship between God and Nature and the types of matter, especially as Cavendish’s views appear to have changed direction as easily as a weathercock.


I scribbled “It seems a bit all over the place” and “Why not chronological order?” but I also noted, “There is a good mixture of analysis, discussing female authors; their reasons for writing and publishing (and Peacock does an excellent job of explaining why the two were different); and the narrative about Margaret. And so, do I recommend this book? The biographical material doesn’t appear to add much beyond Katie Whitaker’s 2003 book. Peacock is obviously on a mission: to espouse Cavendish as a philosopher on a par with Locke and Spinoza, but ignored because she was female; and to position her as a great C17th writer. I admire her devotion to Cavendish but I’m afraid I am not persuaded of Cavendish’s superiority in any field. However, read the book for yourself; learn about an undoubtedly unique, confident, woman; get an insight into some robust C17th philosophical debates; and decide whether Margaret was misunderstood, maligned and denigrated because she was a woman; or whether she was a trail-blazing, brilliant, shooting star who burned out far too early. Cavendish wrote, “All I desire is fame, and fame is nothing but a great noise” - Peacock succeeds in ensuring there will be a fresh debate about Margaret Cavendish, 350 years after she died. I’m sure Margaret would be delighted.


#PureWit #NetGalley

A fascinating read a look at this amazing difficult interesting woman Margaret Cavendish.Also a look at the age she lived in.#netgalley #head of Zeus

Pure Wit by Francesca Peacock is a captivating and engaging introduction to Margaret Cavendish, a noblewoman and brilliant writer from England. Francesca Peacock's writing is lively and engaging for both a general audience and more specialised perspectives. Coming into this blind, never having heard of Margaret Cavendish and her frankly fascinating life in 17th-century English society, I left with a newfound respect for her radical independence and how this translated into her writings. I hesitate to call her a proto-feminist, but she certainly was a unique figure, one that Francesca Peacock treats with both respect and criticism when necessary.

This biography/ literary criticism of Margaret Peacocks expertly conveys the historical context in which Margaret Cavendish grew up and evolved as a philosopher, poet and playwright, determined to be taken as seriously as her male counterparts within a society where women's roles in society were neither respected nor appreciated. I really enjoy learning about women in history, so for me, this book was a 4/5!

I’m put in mind of Joanna Russ and her discussion of suppressing women’s writing, and particularly the way that the history of women and writing in all forms is suppressed or ignored or ridiculed. Which then means that later generations have no history to draw on, no examples to follow or ignore, no suggestion that this thing - being an artist or author or scientist - is possible and that you have precedence. Margaret Newcastle engaged with philosophical and scientific thought; she wrote poetry, plays, letters, significant treatises, and (arguably) one of the first science fiction novels. But how many people - aside from those who are already interested in what early modern women did - have heard of her?

This is a really great biography. It falls into that wonderful and intriguing category of a biography that also includes literary criticism, that deals thoughtfully with the what and why of Margaret’s writing - and its literary and scientific context - as well as the concrete events of her life. It was extraordinary life even without the writing, living as she did during the English Civil War and being firmly on the Royalist side; marrying a man thirty years older; then living through the Restoration and all sorts of difficulties there. Then add her massive writing output, the scientific and philosophical conversations she’s clearly having, and the woman was astonishing. Don’t get me wrong - like the author of the book, I understand Margaret to have been complex, complicated, sometimes contrary and hard to understand, especially from the 21st century perspective. But none of those things detract from Margaret as a fascinating human, worthy of study.

Which doesn’t mean I want to go read her actual texts: even in modern editions they seem very hard to follow, and apparently her handwriting is amongst some of the worst of 17th century manuscripts.

What a incredible biography of a truly remarkable, little known woman in History.

Seeing this book, reading it was a must. I absolutely adore reading about interesting and forward thinking women in History. This book ticked all the boxes, well written, fascinating subject and an excellent historical context on a period of great social and political unrest.

I especially enjoyed the anecdotes about Samuel Pepys trying to grab a glance of the celebrity that was Margaret and the children chasing after her when she alighted from a carriage, I found them very humorous and added the context of how famous she was during her own time.

Francesca, really brings Margaret Cavendish to life, this book is very well researched and keeps you interested throughout. If you love learning about women from the past then I would highly recommend this book. One of my favourite i've read in this genre.

I was looking forward to reading this book about Margaret Cavendish who was certainly an interesting and complex character. Sadly, I found it really hard going as, for me, it read more like a textbook and I found it really difficult to engage with.
Thank you to netgalley and Head of zeus for an advance copy of this book.

I went in to this book expecting to read about a 17th century Kim Kardashian. It didn't disappoint, for Margaret Cavendish was just as polarising a figure in her time. A sadly familiar story of a woman's efforts to be taken seriously in a society determined to devalue her achievements and mock her fashion choices.

Francesca Peacock delves deep in Cavendish's writings to find her, searching for clues even in her handwriting. Much of her life was re-told within her work, it presents her version of events and much can be gleaned (and is artfully explored by Peacock) by events she omitted.

There are the stories of other women here too- the defiant Queen Henrietta Maria- who Cavendish journeyed to serve. The women who found their courage in the midst of civil war from the Bristolian women ready to stand strong against Prince Rupert, to the Countess who refused to surrender her home to the sieging forces. Even the few tales (though much concerned about) women who crossed dressed themselves in to military ranks like the heroines of folk songs.

The book explores her influence on other feminist writers such as Mary Astell and her parallel beliefs with 20th century women's movements. Cavendish is not the perfect feminist and the book doesn't shy away from showing her nuance and contradictions. Should she be of our time now she would make an excellent guest on The Guilty Feminist pod (I'm a feminist but "it is against nature for a woman to spell right").

I could go on an on about the revelations in this book (special mention to Lady Eleanor Butler and The Hon. Sarah Ponsonby who ran off to north Wales and named all their dogs Sapho) but the review will go on forever.

It's brilliant, I loved it, go read it.

Pure Wit by Francesca Peacock is an example of when a writer takes on a subject perfectly suited to their skills. Pure Wit is about the life of Margaret Cavendish, a noblewoman and writer in England during the years before and after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Needless to say, this time period is full of interesting events, but the fact that Cavendish was a women and a writer is the story here. I cannot, unless I make this review excessively long, sum up Cavendish appropriately. She was an early feminist but also not really. Her books are both deeply thoughtful and a bit ridiculous. She defies a short description.

Luckily, Peacock is up to the task and then some. The book is mostly a high level overview of the time period Cavendish lived, plus a short biography, plus literary criticism. Many authors would end up with an absolute mess of tangents and bungled narrative. Peacock's ability to balance many different tones is key to why this book is so readable. Peacock knows when to take her subject seriously, but also will lighten the mood and poke fun at things which are patently ridiculous, including Cavendish herself. The key here is that Peacock clearly has affection for Cavendish, but is not above criticizing her when necessary. I had no idea what to expect when I opened the book, but I didn't need to worry. This is a fun read.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Head of Zeus books.)

“But the insistence that "the scene is poetry" is also something else: Cavendish is writing about her life, but she does not want her readers to forget that she is a writer, rather than just the woman to whom these dramatic experiences occurred. Her status as a poet was sacrosanct.” Since I first heard that Francesca Peacock was bringing out a book about one of my favourite writers, it has been my most anticipated book of 2023 — having luckily received a proof copy, I can confirm that Pure Wit: The Revolutionary Life of Margaret Cavendish is an exemplary and endlessly engaging biography of a writer who so resists classification and easy narrativity. Not only does Peacock use Cavendish’s writing and correspondence, along with that of her peers, her relations, her enemies and her admirers, to craft a thorough, vivid account of Cavendish’s life, she also pays close and rewarding attention to the literary aspects of plays, poems, essays and more, offering close readings and a study that takes Cavendish seriously and refuses to follow the historical tendency of apologia, which first began with Cavendish herself, continuing to this day. There is much to love about Cavendish: her experience of the Civil War and Interregnum and Restoration; her antipathy towards marriage in contrast to the happy marriage she entered into; her career as a writer; her writing itself, its total originality and undaunted scope. All of this is rendered so captivatingly by Peacock, who blends excellent scholarship and research with the kind of narrative flair that Cavendish herself would be thrilled with. Margaret may yet have the lasting Fame she so wanted and deserved!

A very interesting book on a very brave and interesting and important lady.
This book gives a very thorough and detailed view of Margaret and her life as well as the backdrop of the era.
Highly recommended reading!

This is an engaging introduction to Margaret Cavendish for a general audience who are unlikely to have heard of her. Cavendish's The Blazing World is extraordinary for its radical approach to re-making the world in a kind of seventeenth century sci-fi... as well as being more than a little eccentric and dotty! Worm-men, anyone?!

Peacock writes in a lively way and conjures up Cavendish's social world very well. However, I think I'm not the right audience for this popular historical biography which had me fidgeting restlessly for the way it simplifies historicised terms and concepts. For example, Cavendish certainly plays with the idea of women loving other women (not radical or unusual in this period: think of a play like Twelfth Night) but to call it 'lesbianism' is anachronistic and misleading.

Similarly, there's not much point discussing Cavendish as a 'feminist' or even 'proto-feminist' because these modern terms of reference just don't transfer in any straightforward way to the seventeenth century. Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle, certainly was a standout figure in society and contested some ideas about marriage but she wouldn't have been out in the streets campaigning for universal suffrage or caring for the plight of non-aristocratic women, I suspect. In fact, it's her aristocratic status that partly both funds her interests in science and enables her eccentricity. She was close to Charles I, went into exile with his queen, and was a staunch royalist throughout the Civil Wars - a believer in the divine right of kings rather than parliament as the representative of the people.

Even the way she is talked about as radically independent when it comes to writing could be usefully qualified: plenty of women wrote in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, some of them wrote under their own names in equally bold ways (Mary Wroth, for example, the niece of Mary Sidney who also wrote and translated from French). But perhaps I'm being too critical because this isn't positioning itself as an academic study.

For a general audience this is a witty and lively romp through the life of the wayward and endearingly oddball woman who was Margaret Cavendish.

In Francesca Peacock's "Pure Wit," she sets out to give Margaret Cavendish (Duchess of Newcastle) her proper due as a writer, philosopher and ancestor to later feminist writers. (Peacock points out that "feminist" would not be a term used in the seventeenth century). Peacock connects Cavendish to the chaotic political shenanigans of the seventeenth century because a significant portion of Margaret Cavendish's life was spent dealing with the upheaval between Charles I's execution, the interregnum, and the restoration of Charles II. She points out that Cavendish and her husband William were financially wiped out by their support for the Royalist cause.

A good deal of Cavendish's most well-known work was done during this time so Peacock astutely connects the Cavendish's fortunes with the perilous political fighting of her day. Unlike other biographers or English lit scholars, Peacock does not remove Cavendish from her time. She makes sure that we understand the world Cavendish lived, loved and wrote in. She rescues Margaret Cavendish from the misbegotten idea that somehow she was just a silly or mentally unbalanced woman who wrote poems

Peacock writes in a precise manner that puts Cavendish at the forefront. She goes through all of Cavendish's work to show the talent, the intelligence, the contradictions, the confusions, the classism, etc. Peacock does an excellent job of quoting Cavendish's work, and contrasting it with the criticism, or of how she was edited after her death. It's an enlightening way of approaching Cavendish's writing because she shows how much Cavendish had to fight to be taken seriously.

Even today, the idea of the neurotic Margaret Cavendish persists. Francesca Peacock does not paint Cavendish as a saint, but as a multifaceted woman with an extraordinary gift for writing and self-promotion. Peacock treats Cavendish with the respect and understanding she deserves. The biography made me want to read and reread Margaret Cavendish's work, and that's the mark of a first-rate biographer. #PureWit #margaretcavendish #francescapeacock #netgalley #headofzeusbooks #headofzeus

I enjoyed this book because I am interested in women's involvement in historical events. Evidence of women's wit, intelligence, personality and courage is often overlooked. It's just a fact, whether we like it or not, that women have taken second place in the documenting of history. It's taken a great many female authors (and a few good guys too!) to give us excellent books about women. I want to say this is one of them but it is not without its flaws. Firstly, I read the Kindle version and for some reason almost every other paragraph was in a pale grey colour, whilst the rest was in black print. It is annoying to read. If these passages are meant to be italicized then just do that, don't take out the colour. Right, formatting rant over. I loved the description of this book, very interesting. I wanted to get to know more about Margaret Cavendish. The period during which she became an author, the interregnum and the period before and after, is a fascinating period of history and I expected to delve into her story with enthusiasm. In the end I would have preferred a little more of the politics and a little less of the repetition of points made about Cavendish herself. The author uses excellent passages, poems, epigrams written by Cavendish to illustrate her own take on what was happening but it's just a little untidy. I agree with the author that Cavendish deserves more credit as potentially one of our first feminist writers and she's also extremely savvy about self promotion though I felt this was repeated a lot. For someone who describes herself as 'bashful' growing up, she was not backwards in coming forwards and I suppose this was probably unusual during this period. Her husband, the Duke of Newcastle, was a very supportive partner though I suspect he was also offering considerable editorial support. In the end, I enjoyed the book but have to admit I was still unsure whether I liked Margaret or not. Is that important? Probably not in the long run but he prepared to both admire her and also find yourself rolling your eyes at some of her self-aggrandizing comments on her own talents.