The Letters of Lady Arbella Stuart (Women Writers in English 1350-1850)

Lady Arbella Stuart, claimant to the English throne, has traditionally been portrayed as either a hero or fool for marrying against King James's edict and attempting to flee from France. This is Stuart's story as she tells it in more than one hundred letters written to relatives, her husband, the royal family, public officials, and friends. Based largely on original manuscripts, this volume reveals a powerful personal and public drama, as Stuart's royal birth and demand for independence place her in conflict with Queen Elizabeth and King James. Verbally gifted, Stuart creates a fictional lover, maneuvers within the patronage network, and, after her marriage, applies her considerable rhetorical skills to solicit favour and freedom. Her own revisions, which are included, offer the reader unusual access to the thinking of a talented Renaissance writer as she shapes her prose. Sara Jayne Steen has transcribed, ordered, dated, annotated, and critically analysed the letters and drafts.