Annotated Bibliography

[1] Allen, Lea K. “’Women must have their longings, or they die’”: Capitalism as Gendered Discourse in Honest Whore (1602) and Chaste Maid of Cheapside (1613). “’Ramping Cannibals’ and ‘dove-like virgins’: Technologies of Gender and Sexuality in The Dutch Courtesan. April 28, 2000. http://www.umpi.maine.edu/~ricer/honors/allen/contents.htm. April 1, 2006.

These two articles discuss the relationship between capitalism and female sexuality in early modern England and are used in the discussion of ‘Sex and Commodity’.

[2] Amussen, Susan Dwyer. An Ordered Society: gender and class in early modern England. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993.

This book depicts the structure and relations of the households, the married couple and the family during early modern England. It also identifies reasons for the disruption of the household.

[3] "An Act for suppressing The Detestable Sins of Incest, Adultery and Fornication". London: 1650.

An Act sent out by the Parliament of England in 1650 explicating the adulterous behaviors that are can be interpreted as offenses against English law and the types of punishments these sins entail.

[4] Beattie, J.M. Policing and Punishment in London 1660-1750: Urban Crime and the Limits of Terror. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.

This book illustrates the various forms of punishment that were exacted in early modern England. Though the focus of this works falls on the period just after our study, it provides historical illumination on the place of punishment in this society.

[5] Bristol, Michael. "Everyday Custom and Popular Culture." A Companion to Renaissance Drama. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002.

This article discusses the definition of popular culture and serves as an introduction to several customs and traditions of early modern England. It also discusses the rise of capitalism and the consequential loss of “communal” market relations, taken up in the section ‘Sex and Commodity.’

[6] Burford, E.J. and Joy Wotton. Private Vices – Public Virtues. London: Robert Hale Limited, 1995.

This secondary source serves describes the state of London during Elizabeth’s reign and the movement of underworld vices to Southwark. This source includes many relevant illustrations that are used throughout the site and was especially valuable in providing information for the sectiosn on the chastisement of bad women, sex and commodity.

[7] Burford, E.J. and Sandra Shulman. Of Bridles and Burnings: The Punishment of Women. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992.

This secondary source describes how women have been punished historically for a variety of societal transgressions. The text informs the understanding of the public’s view of women considered to be sexually deviant and was used primarily in the construction of the section on the chastisement of bad women.

[8] "A Catalogue of Jilts, Cracks, Prostitutes, Night-walkers, Whores, She-friends, Kind Women, and others of the Linnen-lifting Tribe, who are to be seen every Night in the Cloysters in Smithfield, from the hours of Eight to Eleven, during the time of the FAIR". London: 1691.

This catalogue names sexually deviant women, specifically whores, and a brief description of what these women are known for among the 17th century public.

[9] Dekker, Thomas. The Honest Whore. New York: Theater Arts/Routledge, 1998.

17th century novel written in 1604 depicting the life of a prostitute who is trying to achieve upward social mobility as well as acceptance in society. This book highlights the connection between sex and commodity and represents the common perception of prostitutes during the 17th century.

[10] "A Dialogue between Mistris Macquerella, a Suburb Bawd, Ms Scolopendra, a noted Curtezan, and Mr Pimpinello an Usher, &c." London: 1650.

This dialogue portrays the concerns of the brothels after the Act against Adultery and Fornication was passed.

[11] "The fifth and last part of the wandring whore [microform] : a dialogue between Magdalena, a crafty bawd, Julietta, an exquisite whore, Francion, a lascivious gallant, and Gusman a pimping hector : discovering their diabolical practises at the Half-Crown Chuck-Office : with an additional list of the names of the crafty bawds, common whores, wanderers, pick-pockets, night-walkers, decoys, hectors, pimps and trappanners ..."
London: 1660.

This primary source contains a list of the names of criminals and underworld inhabitants that were common to 17th century England. It also contains a dialogue between a bawd, a whore, a gallant man and a pimp regarding the customs and rules of a whore’s life.

[12] Frassinelli, Pier Paolo. “Realism, Desire and Reification: Thomas Middleton’s A Chaste Maid in Cheapside.” Early Modern Literary Studies 8.3 (January, 2003) 5.1-26 <URL: http://purl.oclc.org/emls/08-3/fraschas.htm>

This article examines how desire functions in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, with special attention given towards the topics of virginity the notion of a woman as a commodity.

[13] Gosson, Stephen. "Playes confuted in fiue actions prouing that they are not to be suffred in a Christian common weale, by the waye both the cauils of Thomas Lodge, and the play of playes, written in their defence, and other obiections of players frendes, are truely set downe and directlye aunsweared". London: 1582.

This primary source was written by an opponent of the theater, who associated plays with debauchery. Gosson urges the state to abolish theater-going on the grounds that it encourages depravity and sexual indiscretion. This source was used for the section on theater as sexual common ground.

[14] Greene, Robert. "A Notable Discovery of Cozenage". London: 1591.

Robert Greene describes the process through which cony-catchers and thieves steal from innocent citizens. However, it also depicts the prostitute as a professional temptress as opposed to a helpless, vulnerable female.

[15] Haynes, Alan. Sex in Elizabethan England. Thrupp: Sutton, 1997.

Discusses sex and prostitution during early modern England, and it is particularly helpful in understanding a whore’s status, how a whore is represented, and the sexual and relational interactions between husband and wife.

[16] Ingram, Martin. “The Reform of Popular Culture? Sex and Marriage in Early Modern England.” Popular Culture in Seventeenth-Century England. Ed. Barry Reay. NSW, Australia: Croom Helm Ltd., 1985. 129-165.

This essay uses examples from early modern English literature to describe the gender relations in love, sex and marriage. This text includes a detailed explanation of cuckoldry as well as the tolerance, or lack thereof, for sexual deviance.

[17] Kegl, Rosemary. The Rhetoric of Concealment: Figuring Gender and Class in Renaissance Literature. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1994.

This book reveals and describes how women were portrayed in Renaissance literature, providing quotes from specific texts. This book is particularly valuable for examining the dynamics of gender and class during early modern England as well.

[18] Kreps, Barbara. “The Paradox of Women: The Legal Position of Early Modern Wives and Thomas Dekker’s The Honest Whore.” English Literary History. 61.9 (2002): 83-102.

Depicts the power relations between husband and wife, and it portrays how women attempt to achieve financial status through marriage. This piece examines these issues within Thomas Dekker’s The Honest Whore.

[19] Lenz, Joseph. “Base Trade: Theater as Prostitution.” Project Muse 60.4 (1993). 27 March 2006. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/elh/v060/60.4lenz.html

An online journal article that argues about the cause of 17th century association between theater-going and prostitution. The article lays out the various similarities between theater at the time and the sex industry, as well as hypothesizes about what led to the conception of the theater as a setting for sexually deviant activities. This source was used primarily in the section on theater as sexual common ground.

[20] Linnane, Fergus. London The Wicked City: A Thousand Years of Vice in the Capital. London: Robson Books, 2003.

This book details the origins and evolution of prostitution in London. The source underscores the connection between the sex industry and crime in the city, as well as describes the locales in which these activities took place. This secondary source was used for background information on prostitution and brothels in early modern England.

[21] Marston, John. The Dutch Courtesan. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1965.

This play examines the dichotomy between love and lust and specifically the difference between an “honest wife” and a “lustful whore”. Specific passages from The Dutch Courtesan are used in the section on ‘Sex and Commodity’

[22] Middleton, Thomas. A Chaste Maid in Cheapside. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969.

This play satirizes the virtues of chastity and virginity (or lack there of) in Cheapside, the central marketing area of London. Specific attention to this play is given in the sections ‘Sex and Commodity’ and ‘The Unsound Body’.

[23] Mullaney, Steven. The Place of the Stage: License, Play, and Power in Renaissance England. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988.

This book is a study in the culture and conditions of early modern England and how they played a role in shaping the status of theater. The source reveals the place that theater had in Elizabethan England and was used mainly in the section on Theater as Sexual Common Ground.

[24] Newman, Katherine. Refashioning Femininity and English Renaissance Drama. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1991.

This book highlighted the nascent capitalism of early modern England and women’s entrance into the marketplace, used in the section ‘Sex and Commodity’.

[25] Paster, Gail Kern. The Body Embarrassed. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1993.

This book contrasts how men and women experience their bodies differently, particularly during early modern England. This book also gives literary examples of how women’s bodies, in particular, were portrayed during the Renaissance, including Paster’s theory of women representing “leaky vessels”.

[26] Seigel, Catharine F. "Hands Off the Hothouses: Shakespeare's Advice to the King." Journal of Popular Culture 20.1 (1986): 81.

This article describes Shakespeare’s advice to King James in the play “Measure for Measure” to leave the whorehouses alone. (Served as reference for analysis of Act I, scene II of the play.)

[27] Shakespeare, William. Measure for Measure. From The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Ed. David Bevington. Updated fourth edition. New York: Longman, 1997.

“Measure for Measure”, is a play that examines mercy and justice in relation to crime, sexuality, and the law. This website gives particular attention to the character “Mistress Overdone” and her place in the underworld of Vienna. This is used in the section ‘Measuring Morality’.

[28] Simmons, Thomas. "The Reign of the Whore Discovered and Her Ruin Seen". London: 1659. Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collection Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

This text depicts the Judgment Day of the whore in 1659, demonstrating the growing intolerance of prostitution during the seventeenth century. The criticizing public expresses the immoral sexual deviance of which whores were accused as well as the religious punishments she will endure for her deviance.

[29] Simpson, J.A. and Weiner, E.S.C. The Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York : Oxford University Press, 1989.

Contains definitions, pronunciation guides, etymologies and quotations, and traces how the sense of a word’s meaning has changed over time. (Served as direct reference to examine words in hypertext version of “Measure for Measure”.)

[30] Skelton, John. “The Tunnying of Elynour Rummying.” The Anchour Anthology of Sixteenth-Century Verse. Ed. Richard S. Sylvester. Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1983. 69-92.

This poem depicts the alehouse during early modern England and depicts prostitution in the alehouses. This source also highlights the grotesque or unsound female body through the description of the women in the alehouse and their actions.

[31] Smith, Francis. The Protestant Cuckold: A New Ballad. London: 1681. Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

This primary source reveals the nature of an adulterous affair and how one husband in early modern England reacted to his wife’s indiscretion.

[32] Stow, John. A Survey of London 2. Reprinted from the text of 1603. Ed. Charles L. Kingsford. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.

This text provides a historical overview to contextualize significant events of London throughout the 16th and 17th century. Includes specific information about major proclamations relevant to brothels and prostitutes, as well as a detailed description of city/suburb dynamics. (Served as historical reference for “Measure for Measure”.)

[33] Tock, Annie. “Literary Law Enforcement: Gender in Crime Ballads in Early Modern England.” Online Posting. Eastern Illinois University. 2 April 2006. <http://www.eiu.edu/~historia/2004/Literary2.pdf>

This essay provides analysis of early modern English law in terms of gender. Tock uses crime ballads from this period to illustrate various legal offenses and how they were interpreted and punished according to gender. This secondary source highlights the criminality of female sexuality.

[34] Uszkalo, Kirsten C. “Selling Cherries, Buying Water: Reworking Female Sexual Economics in Thomas Middleton’s A Chaste Maid in Cheapside". March 29, 2006. <http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/uskalo.htm.>

This article discusses the relationship between capitalism and sexuality in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and was used in the section ‘Sex and Commodity.’

[35] Jenstad, Janelle Day. "The City Cannot Hold You": Social Conversion in the Goldsmith's Shop," Early Modern Literary Studies 8.2 (September, 2002): 5.1-26 <http://purl.oclc.org/emls/08-2/jensgold.html>

This article examines how "commodity" functions in different trades in Renaissance England, particularly the goldsmith trade. It discusses how Yellowhammer makes different kinds of "exchanges" in Dekker's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, providing insight for the section "Sex and Commodity."

[36] Ingram, Martin. "Love, Sex and Marriage". Shakespeare: An Oxford Guide. Ed. Stanley Wells. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

This essay uses examples from early modern England literature to describe the gender relations in love, sex and marriage. This text includes a detailed explanation of cuckoldry as well as the tolerance, or lack thereof, for sexual deviance.