title: "[N]ot subject to our sense” : Margaret Cavendish's fusion of Renaissance science, magic and fairy lore.
abstract: This article explores Margaret Cavendish's depictions of alchemy, witchcraft and fairy lore in her scientific treatise Philosophical Letters and in fictional texts from Natures Pictures and Poems and Fancies. Though Cavendish was a dedicated materialist, she appropriates theories of magic from early modern science and folklore into her materialist epistemology. As Cavendish draws upon a fusion of early modern conceptions of magic, she creates a radical theory of matter which not only challenges patriarchy and binary oppositions, but also explores the plurality and mystery that can exist within an infinitely complex material world.
authors.affiliation: Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walters
mesh_terms: D000422:Alchemy; D000884:Anthropology, Cultural / Q000193:education / Q000266:history; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005495:Folklore; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D008273:Magic / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology; D012586:Science / Q000193:education / Q000266:history; D018599:Witchcraft / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology; D014930:Women / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology; D014956:Writing / Q000266:history