English 'feminist' writings and Judith Drake's An 'Essay in Defence of theFemale Sex' (1696)

English 'feminist' writings of the late seventeenth century frequently unit ed pro-woman arguments with part-political polemics. But although such text s have been discussed in terms of rationalist and contractarian philosophy, or as forerunners of modern feminist concerns, the contemporary issues whi ch underscore them have been ignored. However, an understanding of these de bates is vital to comprehending fully the motives of pro-woman writers, man y of whom were more concerned with the survival of the Church of England th an ameliorating the lot of seventeenth-century women. The underlying import ance of party politics is exemplified in one of the greatest works of early modern 'feminism', Judith Drake's An essay in defence of the female sex (1 696). Although Drake shared political similarities with other tory 'feminis ts', including the more celebrated Mary Astell, Drake's work differed radic ally from theirs over how an Anglican tory society could be maintained. Ins tead of stressing the necessity of teaching the tenets of Anglicanism to yo ung women, as had her predecessors, Drake combined tory ideas with Lockean philosophy and concepts of 'politeness' to formulate an early Enlightenment vision of sociable, secularized, learning and the role female conversation could play in settling a society fractured by party politics.