Audiobooks by Margaret Cavendish

"'I had rather die in the adventure of noble achievements, than live in obscure and sluggish security.' Part romance, part adventure story, The Blazing World is a seventeenth century classic, and a prime example of proto-science fiction. Often considered an early feminist work, Cavendish compellingly chronicles how a young Lady became a powerful empress of a fantastical parallel kingdom. Captured by a lustful merchant in the hope of marrying the young woman, we first find our protagonist travelling towards the North Pole, unsure of her future. But soon the merchant and his crew freeze to death, allowing the young Lady to escape and discover a pole to an alternative land: the Blazing World. Here, the laws of science and nature are upturned: peculiar hybrid creatures – with animal bodies but minds like humans – inhabit the kingdom. Believed to be a goddess by the Emperor of Paradise city, the young woman soon becomes betrothed to the leader of the strange land, and is able to rule and govern the world as she pleases. This audiobook edition is brilliantly brought to life by Karen Cass. Margaret Cavendish (1632 – 1673), Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was a successful poet, playwright, scientist and philosopher. She was one of the first women of her time to publish extensively under her own name, and used her work to explore topics such as gender, marriage and courtship."

Margaret Cavendish (Author), Karen Cass (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Blazing World

"Born in 1623 as the youngest child of a wealthy Essex family, Margaret Cavendish became a Maid of Honour to Queen Henrietta Maria before going on to marry the widowed William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle. She was a prolific writer whose work encompassed a range of genres including poetry, moral tales, romance, scientific treatises, philosophy, drama and biography. Pepys wrote of her: 'The whole story of this Lady is a romance, and all she doth is romantic'. The Blazing World is part fiction and part feminist text in which a lady is shipwrecked and seeks to ensure that the Blazing World in which she finds herself is transformed into a Utopia - free of war, sexual discrimination and religious discord. It is a fascinating and extravagant combination of what the author herself calls 'romancical', 'philosophical' and 'fantastical'."

Margaret Cavendish (Author), Lucy Scott (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Blazing World

"In 1666, as Sir Isaac Newton is developing differential calculus and Robert Hooke suggests that the force of gravity can be measured utilizing the motion of a pendulum, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle, published The Description of A New World, Called the Blazing-World, better known as The Blazing World. A young Lady is kidnapped by a visiting merchant who is enchanted with her. Through divine interference, the ship is beset by a storm and everyone but the Lady perishes. Blown up to the North Pole, she inadvertently passes into to another world, the Blazing World, where she is almost immediately made supreme ruler. As the Lady begins to exercise her will, Cavendish lays out her own utopia and discusses a wide range of scientific, political, social, and religious topics. But when a war breaks out in her home world, what will the Lady do with all power of the Blazing World behind her? An adventure tale, a romance, and a work of proto-science fiction, this seventeenth-century utopian novel touches on alchemy, the occult, religion, and natural philosophy while exploring such issues as science, gender, and power."

Margaret Cavendish (Author), Gabrielle De Cuir (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Blazing World and Other Writings: Penguin Classics

"Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Abigail Thaw, best known for her role as Dorothea Frazil in Endeavour. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Kate Lilley, also read by Abigail Thaw. Flamboyant, theatrical and ambitious, Margaret Cavendish was one of the seventeenth century's most striking figures: a woman who ventured into the male spheres of politics, science, philosophy and literature. The Blazing World is a highly original work: part Utopian fiction, part feminist text, it tells of a lady shipwrecked on the Blazing World where she is made Empress and uses her power to ensure that it is free of war, religious division and unfair sexual discrimination. This volume also includes The Contract, a romance in which love and law work harmoniously together, and Assaulted and Pursued Chastity, which explores the power and freedom a woman can achieve in the disguise of a man. (P) Penguin Audio 2020"

Margaret Cavendish (Author), Abigail Thaw (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Blazing World

"The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish is, all at once, a satire, a treatise on natural philosophy, a work of proto-science fiction, and a defiant venture into a scientific world where women were not usually allowed. It tells the tale of a young Lady who is kidnapped by a man that tries to sail away with her. Through divine interference, however, the ship is tossed into a storm and everyone but the Lady perishes. Blown up to the North Pole, she inadvertently passes into to another world, the Blazing World, where she is almost immediately made supreme ruler. As the Lady begins to exercise her will, Cavendish lays out her own Utopia and discusses a wide range of scientific, political, social, and religious topics. But when a war breaks out in her home world, what will the Lady do with all power of the Blazing World behind her? - Summary by Sarah Terry"

Margaret Cavendish (Author), Sarah Terry (Narrator)

Audiobook