He Words Me

Men Writing as Women in Early Modern England
A collection of works by early modern men writing in womens voices.

This anthology gives students and scholars access to a body of texts that provide a clearer understanding of what life was like for early modern women by presenting hundreds of little-known primary texts that contain details about early modern womens work, relationships, emotional and intellectual development, friendships, and daily struggles. He Words Me brings together work from a variety of genres in which male authors adopt the voice of a female narrator and use that voice to provide intimate details about the lives of women.

These works introduce modern readers to less familiar genres, complement or contradict portrayals of women in canonical texts, and raise compelling questions about who speaks for women and when women can speak for themselves. Through these womens voices, readers can encou