Gender Ideology of the Puritans in the Thomas Gataker's Sermon to newlyweds the Case of Lady Brilliana Harley; [ГЕНДЕРНАЯ ИДЕОЛОГИЯ ПУРИТАН В ПРОПОВЕДИ НОВОБРАЧНЫМ ТОМАСА ГАТЕЙКЕРА СЛУЧАЙ ЛЕДИ БРИЛЛИАНЫ ХАРЛИ]

Abstract

This article examines how Puritan sermons to newlyweds formed a special gender discourse that allowed women not only to take an active part in the life of a godly community, but also to take male responsibilities related to the management and defense of the estate. A striking example of this is the case of Lady Brilliana Harley, whose marriage was the subject of one of Thomas Gutaker's three famous marriage sermons, “A Wife in Deed” (1623). As the wife of Parliamentarian Sir Robert Harley, Brilliana managed the affairs of her ancestral estate, Brampton Brian Castle, while her husband sat in Parliament before and during the Civil War. She organized the defense of the castle during its siege by the Royalists in the summer of 1643. Brilliana Harley's rich epistolary heritage allows us to analyze how the puritan gender ideology embedded in Gataker's sermon influenced her choice of life strategies. © 2024 Aquilo. All rights reserved.