Constructing a Martyr:
Perceptions and Images of Anne Askew
Woodcut from the title page of John Bale's Examinations of Anne Askew (1546)
Engraving of John Foxe by Martin Droeshout II. 1623-1630
How does Anne present herself in the Examinations? What kind of influence do John Bale and John Foxe's editorial voices have in shaping the reader's perception of Anne? Does gender shape Anne's role as a martyr?
How does Anne present herself in the Examinations? What kind of influence do John Bale and John Foxe's editorial voices have in shaping the reader's perception of Anne? Does gender shape Anne's role as a martyr?
These are the questions we will explore in the cultural context section of The Annotated Martyrs. In doing so, we hope to gain a greater understanding of Anne's role and impact as a Protestant martyr, particularly in the ways her gender, intelligence, and outspoken nature arise in the text. First, we will examine and analyze Elaine V. Beilin's article on the subject, entitled "A Challenge to Authority: Anne Askew" from the book, Redeeming Eve: Women Writers of the English Renaissance. Then, placing Anne's examinations within the context of John Bale's 1546 published edition and a woodcut illustration from the text's title page, we will further consider how Bale presents Anne as a woman and a Protestant martyr.
These are the questions we will explore in the cultural context section of The Annotated Martyrs. In doing so, we hope to gain a greater understanding of Anne's role and impact as a Protestant martyr, particularly in the ways her gender, intelligence, and outspoken nature arise in the text. First, we will examine and analyze Elaine V. Beilin's article on the subject, entitled "A Challenge to Authority: Anne Askew" from the book, Redeeming Eve: Women Writers of the English Renaissance. Then, placing Anne's examinations within the context of John Bale's 1546 published edition and a woodcut illustration from the text's title page, we will further consider how Bale presents Anne as a woman and a Protestant martyr.