Ephelia: Unmasking a Seventeenth-Century Feminist Voice

Discover the story of Ephelia, a 17th-century poet and playwright whose identity remains a mystery. Could she be Lady Mary Villiers, the witty court insider nicknamed "the Butterfly"?

This video uncovers Ephelia’s sharp poetry, fearless critique of gender and power, and connections to Restoration England. From political intrigue to feminist verses, see why her work deserves recognition. This is your ultimate guide to Ephelia's life and legacy.

🎭 How Ephelia turned love poems into social critique.
📜 Her bold political writings for the Stuart monarchy.
🦋 Clues that might solve her identity.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:26 A Taste of Ephelia
09:58 Setting the Scene
16:59 Who Was Ephelia?
28:58 Ephelia's Work
34:20 Ephelia’s Legacy

Links & References:
🫶Patreon:   / juliamartins  
🖋 Maureen E. Mulvihill’s Research: http://ephelia.com

(CC available on the bottom right of the player)

References:
Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, Memoirs of the Court of England in 1675 (1913, 2009) (originally, 2 vols., Paris, 1695).
Susan Barnes, Nora de Poorter, Horst Vey, and Oliver Millar, Van Dyck: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings (2003).
Winifred Gardiner, Baroness Burghclere, George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham, 1628-1687: A Study in the History of the Restoration (1903, 2012).
Georgina Colwell, This Scepter'd Isle: English Romantic Songs (CD; setting of ‘Ephelia’ poem) (1993).
Lara Dodd, “Ephelia.” Palgrave Encyclopedia of Early Modern Women Writers (Online, 2023).
Ephelia, A Poem to His Sacred Majesty, On The Plot. Written by a Gentlewoman (Licensed brs.; London: Henry Brome, 1678).
____, A Poem as it was Presented to His Sacred Majesty on the Discovery of the Plott. Written by a Lady of Quality (Brs.; London? “Printed in the year 1679”). With (stand-in) factotum woodcut initial “H”, figuring two crowned figures representing the poem’s addressee, Charles II, and the poetess, possibly Mary Villiers, Duchess of Richmond, in her ducal coronet.
____, Female Poems On several Occasions. Written by Ephelia (Octavo. With decorative title-page vignette. London: William Downing for James Courtney, 1679).
____, Advice To His Grace (Brs. London? Printed subscription, “Ephelia”. Circa 1680/1681).
______, “A funeral Elegie on Sr Thomas Isham Baronet.” (PwV 336. Two folios. Portland Collection, University of Nottingham Library. Subscribed “Ephelia”. With armorial watermark. As title suggests, written for reading at funeral ceremony, 9 August 1681.)
____, Female Poems On Several Occasions. Written by Ephelia. The Second Edition, with large Additions (Octavo. 1682; manual cancel, “1684”, Huntington copy. London: James Courtney. Printed without first edition’s title-page vignette).
______, The Pair-Royal of Coxcombs, Performed at a Dancing-School. Four excerpts published in Female Poems...by Ephelia (1679, 1682). See brief discussion, with facsimile of explicitly feminist (post-production) "Epilogue", in Reading Early Modern Women, eds H. Ostovich & E. Sauer (2004).
Susan Hrach Georgecink. “Ephelia. Frontispiece, Female Poems...by Ephelia (1679).” Reading Early Modern Women, eds. Helen Ostovich and Elizabeth Sauer (2004).
Germaine Greer, Susan Hastings, Jeslyn Medoff and Melinda Sansone (eds.), Kissing the Rod: An Anthology of Seventeenth Century Women's Verse (1989).
S.J. Hardman. Van Dyck's...Mary Villiers. Self-published, Atlanta, 1976. (Identified butterfly language in one of Ephelia's songs, in correspondence with Mulvihill, 1990s.)
Freda Hast, “Villiers [married name Stuart], Mary, duchess of Lennox and Richmond (1622-1685), courtier”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004). 
Elaine Hobby, A Virtue of Necessity (1988). 
Maureen E. Mulvihill, “Eloquent Ear: Sonic Poetics and Early Women Writers.” Music Air website; host, soprano Georgina Colwell, Royal Society of Musicians, UK. Forthcoming.
_____. “Ephelia.” The Literary Encyclopedia (online, UK). Forthcoming.
_____. Notes to the Key. Appendix A, Thumbprints of Ephelia. (2021).
 ____, Ephelia. (Ashgate UK, 2003. Illus.). Extended bibliography.
____, Thumbprints of 'Ephelia' (Lady Mary Villiers), ReSoundings, Vol. 2, Issue 3, 2001-2008. Illus. www.ephelia.com Extended bibliography.
____, Poems by Ephelia (circa 1679): The Premier Facsimile Edition of the Collected Manuscript and Published Poems. With a Critical Essay and Apparatus (NY, 1992. Illus.).
Lesley J. Nickell, Butterfly: Painted Lady (vol. 1) (2013).
_____, Butterfly: Mourning Cloak (vol. 2) (2017).
Helen Ostovich and Elizabeth Sauer, Reading Early Modern Women: An Anthology of Texts in Manuscript and Print, 1550-1700 (2004).
Cheryl Sawyer, The Winter Prince (2007).
Jane Stevenson and Peter Davidson (eds.), Early Modern Women Poets: An Anthology (2001).

Intro Music:
Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/