JOURNAL ARTICLE

Penelope Rich as Interlocutor in Richard Barnfield's The Affectionate Shepheard.

Published In: SEL: Studies in English Literature (Johns Hopkins), 2025, v. 63, n. 1. P. 3 1 of 3
Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3
Authored By: Grayson, Spencer 3 of 3

Abstract

This article argues that Richard Barnfield's The Affectionate Shepheard configures its dedicatee, Penelope Rich, as what I call an "interlocutor": a collaborative reader who transforms the text's interpretive value and facilitates a wider readership. I identify resonances in diction between the collection's dedication and main text that interpolate Rich into the collection's diegesis. Within the diegesis, Rich both guides the collection into elite literary circles and reframes its lover/beloved relationship as a mutually constitutive collaboration between text and reader. Reading for interlocutors reveals increased female textual agency in nonauthorial positions, which expands possible methodologies for work in feminist bibliography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

Source:SEL: Studies in English Literature (Johns Hopkins). 2025/01, Vol. 63, Issue 1, p3
Document Type:Article
Subject Area:History
Publication Date:2025
ISSN:0039-3657
DOI:10.1353/sel.2025.a952058
Accession Number:183176488
Copyright Statement:Copyright of SEL: Studies in English Literature (Johns Hopkins) is the property of Johns Hopkins University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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