791 Emilia Lanier (a.k.a Aemilia Bassano Lanyer) Revisited

791 Emilia Lanier (a.k.a Aemilia Bassano Lanyer) Revisited

From The History of Literature by Jacke Wilson / The Podglomerate

April 9, 2026 · 1h 7m · Episode 791

About this episode

This episode revisits Aemilia Bassano Lanyer, the first Englishwoman to publish a volume of poetry, exploring her life and connections to Shakespeare.

The "Forgotten Women of Literature" series continues with a look at Aemilia Bassano Lanyer (1569-1645), the first Englishwoman to publish a volume of poetry, the protofeminist Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum (1611), which tells the story of Christ's crucifixion from a woman's perspective. In addition to her many accomplishments and incredible life story, Lanyer has tantalizingly close connections to William Shakespeare, causing Jacke (and other scholars) to examine whether she might have been the inspiration for the Dark Lady of Shakespeare's sonnets. [This episode originally ran on September 15, 2020. It has been chosen by a guest as one of his top ten favorite History of Literature Podcast episodes.] Help support the show at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/literature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠historyofliterature.com/donate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. The History of Literature Podcast is a member of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate Network. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thepodglomerate.com/historyofliterature⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Jacke Wilson

Topics covered

  • Aemilia Bassano Lanyer
  • women in literature
  • Shakespeare
  • poetry
  • feminism
  • historical figures

Keywords

  • Aemilia Bassano Lanyer
  • Shakespeare
  • poetry
  • feminism
  • women in literature
  • historical analysis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Podglomerate

Books & works: Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum

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