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Shipwrecked in an alternate world, a young woman leads the natives to a society free of war and that champions equality. The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish serves as a testament to the talent and innovation of the 17th century author. With the exploration of topics such as gender, power, sexuality, religion, science, and philosophy, the book challenges convention and provides thoughtful entertainment.
About the author
Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) was a 17th century trailblazer for women and authors. She was an English aristocrat, philosopher, scientist, author, poet, and playwright. Though they are male-dominated fields, Cavendish was not shy about her studies in philosophy and science, and she expressed her views and findings on each topic within her written work. While Cavendish wrote in a time that discouraged women from doing so, she always published under her name rather than anonymously. Cavendish tackled many themes and topics with her work, including gender, sexuality, power, science, philosophy, and advocacy for animals. Her work
> is considered to be one of the earliest examples of the science fiction genre.
Summary
When a young woman is shipwrecked in the kingdom of the Blazing World, she befriends the natives, a highly intelligent and tolerant group of humanoid animals. With the help of the locals, the woman becomes the Empress of the island, and leads the Blazing World into a society of peace, equality, and understanding.
Margaret Cavendish’s
The Blazing World explores hot-button topics and themes, bringing a perspective that is still fresh modern-day. With imaginative and gripping prose, Cavendish advocates for philosophy over the material world, becoming a pioneer and strong advocate for peace, animals’ rights, feminism, and equality. Her work is considered innovative not only for the exploration of these topics, but also for the invention of a genre.This edition of
The Blazing World is printed in a modern font and redesigned with a striking new cover, bringing Cavendish’s trailblazing literature into the 21st century.
