Domesticating Minerva: Bathsua Makin's "Curious" Argument for Women's Education

D o m e s t ic a t in g M in e r v a : B a t h s u a M a k in ' s ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA " C u r io u s " A r g u m e n t fo r W o m e n 's E d u c a t io n PONMLKJIHGFEDCBA M IT Z I M Y E R S B ath su a M akin 's m od ern -d ay rep u tation in stan ces th e fate of m an y "lesser" w om en w riters, th e "m in or" au th ors of "m in or" gen res w h o occu p y an occasion al footn ote. T h e D ic t io n a r y o f N a t io n a l B io g r a p h y , for exam p le, rates M akin 's E s s a y t o R e v iv e t h e A n t ie n t E d u c a t io n o f G e n t le w o m e n , in R e lig io n , M a n n e r s , A r t s & T o n g u e s : w it h a n A n s w e r t o t h e O b je c t io n s a g a in s t t h is W a y o f E d u c a t io n (1673) as a "cu riou s" p iece by an alm ost forgotten fem ale w orthy, a w ork w h ich p iqu es som e m erely an tiq u arian in terest w ith its d id actic en ergies an d qu ain tly p ro-w om an p olem ic. U n d er th e stim u lu s of tw en tieth -cen tu ry fem i­ n ism 's first w ave, fem ale h istorian s of w om en cou n tered su ch a view . M yra R eyn old s in h er 1920 record of learn ed lad ies an d D oroth y G ar­ d in er in h er 1929 h istory of w om en 's ed u cation righ tly saw M akin n ot as an isolated od d ity, bu t as p art of a fem ale con tin u u m . A n d , th ou gh th eir w ork w as less an alysis th an d escrip tive su m m ary, th ey m ad e large claim s for h er con seq u en ce. R eyn old s, for in stan ce, p oin ts to th e "g reat h istoric in terest" of th e cu rricu lu m M akin d escribes for h er T otten h am H igh C ross girls' sch ool: "It is th e first kn ow n attem p t to organ ize a sch em e of d efin ite an d solid stu d y for girls," an d M akin h erself is "o n e of th e m ost sign ifican t p erson ages con n ected w ith th e ed u cation of girls in th e m id -sev en teen th cen tu ry." A ttem p ts later in th e cen tu ry to "rev iv e th e m ore solid typ e of girls' ed u cation ch arac­ 173 174 / MYERS teristic of T u d or tim es," G ard in er fin d s, op erate "u n d er th e in sp ira­ tion an d by th e in itiative of M rs. M akin ." M oreover, G ard in er re­ m in d s u s, ou r con tem p orary com m on p laces w ere on ce th e "g reat ad van...