Podcast Summary: Noble Blood

Episode: Who's Afraid of the Duchess of Newcastle (Part Two)

Host: Dana Schwartz
Date: August 19, 2025

Overview

This episode continues the saga of Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle—a trailblazing 17th-century writer, philosopher, and eccentric aristocrat. Host Dana Schwartz explores Cavendish’s lifelong quest for intellectual significance and immortality in a patriarchal society that dismissed and derided ambitious women. The episode chronicles Margaret’s literary achievements, social controversies, deep personal relationships, and lasting legacy—capturing her struggle to be "a world or nothing" and her transformation from the “crazy countess” to the infamous “crazy duchess.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Margaret Cavendish’s Early Literary Ambitions

• Publication of "Poems and Fancies" (1653)
  • Cavendish’s debut volume stunned readers with its variety: poems on atoms, fairies, and the nature of history, including advice for other women writers.
  • Quote (02:07): “Let us strive to build us tombs while we live, followed by a couplet that though our bodies die, our names may live to After Memory.”
• Margaret’s Trailblazing Role
  • Only 1.3% of English publications at her time were openly authored by women—most of these were religious or advice books.
  • Cavendish boldly claimed space for women in fiction, poetry, and philosophy.

2. Societal Ridicule and “The Crazy Duchess”

• Contemporary Criticism
  • Dorothy Osborne called her work “10 times more extravagant than her dress” and compared her to Bedlam’s madmen (04:40).
• Margaret’s Self-Understanding
  • Cavendish admitted her oversized ambition, aiming to become “Margaret I.”
  • Quote (06:30): “I am not covetous, but as ambitious as ever any of my sex was, is, or can be… I will endeavor to be Margaret I.”

3. Navigating Exile, Loss, and Literary Output

• Return to England and Emotional Turmoil
  • Margaret’s journey to reclaim family assets failed, deepening her financial woes and separation anxiety.
  • Reunited with her surviving family, Margaret sought solace and purpose through writing.
• Publishing as Defiance and Survival
  • She defended her right to publish, urging other women to support her against “the smile of scorn” from men (15:20).
  • Writing became both catharsis and an attempt at economic relief.

4. Margaret’s Radical Philosophy and Reception

• Groundbreaking Content
  • Her poem "A World Made by Atoms" posited a scientific creation of the world, omitting God—provoking accusations of atheism (18:00).
  • In “The World’s Olio,” she wrote: “It is better to be an atheist than a superstitious man, for in atheism there is humanity and civility towards man to man..." (19:05).
• Constant Defense of Authorship
  • Critics doubted her skills or accused her of plagiarism.
  • Margaret’s rebuttal (34:01): “I am too honest as not to steal another’s work, nor so vainglorious as to strain to build up fame upon... another man’s wit.”

5. Personal Relationships and Family Intrigues

• Rumors and Jealousies
  • After the death of her brother-in-law Charles, whispers of an affair arose, fueled by William’s angry poems and Margaret’s own suggestive dedications (41:20).
• Family Tensions
  • Upon returning to England, her influence over her husband William worried his children and servants, resulting in accusations and social scheming.

6. Social Ascension and the Crazy Duchess Legacy

• Rise to the Dukedom
  • William was made Duke of Newcastle in 1665, making Margaret a duchess. Their London home became a hub for court society and intellectuals (01:02:00).
  • Margaret’s eccentric fashion—daring cleavage, black patches, masculine hats—became as famous as her writing (01:06:30).
• Royal Society Visit
  • Despite initial hostility, Margaret became the first woman—decades ahead of her time—to visit the Royal Society, arriving in flamboyant style (01:11:50).
  • Quote (01:15:30): “As she observed their work, the men observed her. The woman who... wanted to be an empress in fiction at least, dressed like a performer and was also so shy that she hardly spoke.”

7. Later Years and Enduring Legacy

• Prolific Final Decade
  • Edited and translated her earlier works, authored new plays, and experimented with science herself.
• Death and Posthumous Perception
  • Died in 1673 at age 50, with more than a dozen major works published.
  • William honored her with a posthumous collection, and her tomb at Westminster Abbey proclaims her “wise, witty, and learned.”
• Victorian Mockery and Modern Reassessment
  • Later critics ridiculed her; Louisa Stuart Costello dismissed her as “a self esteemed phoenix... a general annoyance” (01:21:50).
  • Virginia Woolf cast her as both a bogey for ambitious girls and a “giant cucumber... crushing her floral contemporaries” (01:23:30).
  • Today, Cavendish is recognized for her bold contributions to philosophy and speculative fiction.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Margaret’s Ambition:
  • “My ambition is such as I would either be a world or nothing.” (20:28)
• On Female Writers:
  • “I know women’s tongues are as sharp as two edged swords, and wound as much when they are angered.” (16:10)
• Margaret’s Defiant Self-Assessment:
  • “Spare your severe censures... only I have had so much time as to gather a little posy to stick upon my breast.” (20:00)
• On Fame and Obscurity:
  • “She would rather die in the adventure of noble achievements than live in obscurity and sluggish serenity.” – from The Blazing World (01:18:05)
• On Physical vs. Intellectual Exercise:
  • “The motions of my mind hinders the active exercises of my body... I should dance my thoughts out of measure, run my fancies out of breath, and tread out the feet of my numbers.” (01:20:45)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Margaret’s Literary Debut and “Tombs”: 02:00 – 07:00
• Ridicule from Contemporaries: 04:20 – 06:30
• Return to England and Personal Challenges: 08:10 – 17:00
• Defense of Female Authorship: 15:00 – 17:30
• Radical Philosophical Poems: 18:00 – 21:00
• Rumors about Charles and Family Intrigue: 41:00 – 45:00
• Rise to Social Celebrity: 01:02:00 – 01:11:00
• Royal Society Visit: 01:12:00 – 01:16:30
• Views on Death, Fame, and Critics: 01:20:00 – 01:24:00

Tone and Narrative Style

Dana Schwartz delivers a wry, empathetic, and richly detailed narrative, blending modern insights with period-accurate quotations and a sense of humor about Cavendish’s eccentricities. Her tone remains both admiring of Margaret’s iconoclastic ambition and clear-eyed about her contradictions and societal blindspots.

Conclusion

Margaret Cavendish, scorned in her time and long ridiculed afterward, is today recognized as a pioneering woman of letters and thought. Through her relentless self-invention, radical ideas, and refusal to be contained by “sluggish serenity”, she left a singular mark on history—and finally, the world notices.