Learning and Literacy in Female Hands, 1520–1698 by Elizabeth Mazzola (review)

Elizabeth Mazzola’s new book deals with women’s writings, mainly letters, in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. These writings were made, both metaphorically and practically, in the women’s study rooms, a continuation of their study room activities as girls and young adults. The women considered by Mazzola were not common folk – they were girls who would grow into the women who occupied the highest echelons of English society, including Queen Elizabeth I. These women wielded significant influence within their families, and in the cases of Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, actual political power.

While ostensibly dealing with the interactions between young women and their (usually male) tutors or teachers, during a time when education was already common among high-status women, the book actually deals with the expansion of literacy which occurred across Europe from the early sixteenth century onwards. This expansion was a result of the development of the printing industry. From 1520 onwards, printed books were highly desirable goods; they provided a respectful livelihood for their purveyors, and an attraction to many clients, some of whom had not owned libraries before. In many houses, children were taught to read and write, and writing exercises, both Latin and vernacular, became an element in the education of both boys and girls.

Mazzola weaves in her book a fascinating, multi-faceted tapestry, demonstrating the importance, the power, and effectiveness of the letters written by these women, although all writers, without exception, described their work as mere scribbling. They all, without exception, apologise for their poor skill in the art of writing, point to their spelling errors, and refer to their own work as rough, disjointed, and inarticulate. However, while distracting male attention with their own worthiness and ability as writers, they in fact passed messages, that stayed unclear or hidden to male readers. Using a female language, writing ‘invisible to men’ akin to the Spanish fan language or embroidery of codes in Europe, these women used their education to invade male territory, using a skill traditionally dominated by men – writing letters to manage their affairs.

To this very elaborate tapestry, the author introduces more elements, such as espionage scams, court politics, and murder conspiracies. She discusses the usage of male secretaries, who wrote for women such as Queen Elizabeth, bringing to light the questions of trust, and the benefit gained to the writer by knowing the woman’s thoughts and secrets intimately. The female skill of developing ‘secret’ messages is also used in that context, the secretary often oblivious to true nature of the message dictated to him.

Mazzola presents female writing as a thriving ecosystem. She points, among other things, to a common female language, and the belief of women that they could communicate outside the male sphere, manipulate the world of men, and use writing as a tool to manage their lives in a world perceived as completely masculine.