54 pages • 1 hour read
Margaret CavendishA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Although readers may come away from this book thinking Cavendish wants to be Empress of the world, Cavendish explains that the real purpose of the book was create from scratch a world built of rational thought. Not only did she do it faster than Alexander or Caesar could conquer the world, she also did it with less destruction and death. Her world is peaceful and harmonious. Rational people, not military or political figures, are at the forefront of her world, and she is its ultimate hero. She encourages her readers to imagine their own perfect worlds, as long as they don’t try to usurp her world or that of the Empress, to whom she pledges her Platonic loyalty.
Cavendish again positions herself above powerful male political leaders in describing how easy the creation of the Blazing World was. Her increased delight in imagination shows that she views it as more powerful than military might.
Cavendish directly conflates herself with the Duchess in the Blazing World, even going so far as to imply that this text resulted from her time creating imagined worlds with the Empress. This bold insertion of the real into the fantastical acts as permission for readers to feel free to create their own worlds using Cavendish’s work as a template.
Books Made into Movies
View Collection
Books that Feature the Theme of...
View Collection
British Literature
View Collection
Equality
View Collection
European History
View Collection
Fantasy
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Memorial Day Reads
View Collection
Military Reads
View Collection
Nation & Nationalism
View Collection
Order & Chaos
View Collection
Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics
View Collection
Politics & Government
View Collection
Science Fiction & Dystopian Fiction
View Collection
Science & Nature
View Collection
The Power & Perils of Fame
View Collection
War
View Collection