The Examinations of Anne Askew (Women Writers in English 1350-1850)

In this vivid first-person narrative, Anne Askew (1521-1546), a member of the Reformed church, records her imprisonment for heresy and her interrogation by officials of church and state in the last days of Henry VIII. She represents herself arguing forcefully, learnedly, and wittingly with her accusers, continually demonstrating their theological errors and her own refusal to be the traditional silent woman in public debate on religion. As a spiritual autobiography, a historical document, and a carefully crafted polemic, this work gives new insight into Reformation politics and society in England. After Askew was burned at the stake in 1546, her work was immediately published by John Bale who wove his own historical commentary with her text to “elucidate” her role as a Protestant martyr. Askew’s work also exists in several early editions without Bale’s commentary, most importantly in John Foxe’s Acts and Monuments (1563). This volume includes two texts: the first edition of Askew’s Examinations with Bale’s Elucidation, and Foxe’s edition uninterrupted version of her work. This book will have strong appeal for scholars and students of English Renaissance literature, Reformation history, and women’s history.