Aemilia Bassano Lanyer (1569-1645) published a collection of verse, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum [“Hail God, King of the Jews”], 1611, which has gained considerable attention for its variety, quality, and proto-feminist stance. Lanyer may also be the first woman writing in English both to claim divine calling as a poet and to seek patronage through a community of intellectual women whom she praises and seeks to represent. Her book consists of eleven introductory dedications to high-born women, nine in verse and two in prose, followed by the long title poem (1840 lines in rime royal stanzas, ababbcc), followed in turn by the first “country house” poem published in English, “The Description of Cooke-ham” (i

This article in full comprises 2799 words but only the first 150 or so words are available to non-members.

All our articles have been written recently by experts in their field, more than 95% of them university professors. To read about membership, please click here.

First published 28 April 2004

[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2621, accessed 20 November 2009.]