The Blazing World

The Empress is the book’s main character. In some ways, she is the heroine of a fantastical romance—a noble woman who comes to a new land and marries its Emperor after he falls in love with her at first sight.

In other ways, she is a radical departure from earlier such characters. The Empress is eager for political, religious, and scientific power. As soon as the Emperor gives her absolute power over the Blazing World, she undertakes an intensive examination of its government structures, culture, and technology; eventually, she experiments by installing her own faith and governance onto the world’s peoples. She also foists a military campaign to give absolute rule to the king of her original country and orders Blazing World scientists and inventors to undertake massive projects on her behalf.

The Empress’s ambition and thirst for control matches that of both the Duchess and of Cavendish herself. Cavendish’s political fantasies included the ascension of the English king to absolute power; her other dream was for women to be seen as the equal of men in politics and scholarship—and for her own work to be recognized as brilliant. By having her idealized protagonist express these ideas, Cavendish can argue that her beliefs are the best and most accurate.