"Though I cannot be Henry the Fifth, or Charles the Second, yet I endeavour to be Margaret the First; and although I have neither power, time nor occasion to conquer the world as Alexander and Caesar did; yet rather than not to be mistress of one, since Fortune and the Fates would give me none, I have made a world of my own: for which no body, I hope, will blame me, since it is in every one’s power to do the like."
This quotation appears in the introductory material to The Blazing World, Cavendish's letter to the reader. Here, she announces her intentions for writing and publishing The Blazing World, emphasizing that she sees herself as a type of literary pioneer. Crucially, Cavendish compares herself to widely celebrated figures like Henry the Fifth of England and Charles the Second of England (the current king at the time Cavendish was writing), as well as Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. These comparisons suggest that Cavendish sees herself among the ranks of powerful and influential people, introducing the theme of gender equality and female empowerment at the beginning of the text.
"But alas! those few men which were in it, not knowing whither they went, nor what was to be done in so strange an adventure, and not being provided for so cold a voyage, were all frozen to death, the young Lady only, by the light of her beauty, the heat of her youth, and protection of the gods, remaining alive."
This quotation describes the fate of the merchant's crew as they approach the portal to the Blazing World: the men all freeze to death, and only the Lady survives. Here, the narrator explains that the Lady survives because of her inherent "light," suggesting that she is both virtuous and knowledgeable. This phenomenon emphasizes the Lady's superiority in comparison to her captors while also foreshadowing her role as an eventual leader of the Blazing World.
"...above the rest, they had an extraordinary art, much to be taken notice of by experimental philosophers, and that was a certain engine, which would draw in a great quantity of air, and shoot forth wind with a great force; this engine in a calm, they placed behind their ships, and in a storm, before; for it served against the raging waves, like canons against an hostile army, or besieged town."
When the inhabitants of the Blazing World decide to bring the Lady to their Emperor, she observes the ingenuity of the boat they use to transport her. The detail provided about the boat's engine emphasizes the excellent, cutting-edge engineering that the Blazing World has to offer. It also foreshadows the Lady's quest for knowledge after she becomes Empress, as well as the information she will acquire about the technological and scientific advancements of the Blazing World society.
"No sooner was the Lady brought before the Emperor, but he conceived her to be some goddess, and offered to worship her; which she refused, telling him, (for by that time she had pretty well learned their language) that although she came out of another world, yet was she but a mortal; at which the Emperor rejoicing, made her his wife, and gave her an absolute power to rule and govern all that world as she pleased. But her subjects, who could hardly be persuaded to believe her mortal, tendered her all the veneration and worship due to a deity."
This quotation describes the Lady's first encounter with the Emperor, and her eventual position as the Empress. The Emperor is so impressed by the Lady that he assumes she is a goddess, an idea that once again emphasizes the Lady's inherent virtue. That the Emperor gives the Empress free reign over the governance of the Blazing World suggests that her leadership is, to some extent, divinely inspired, hearkening back to the notion that the English monarchy itself was consecrated by God.
"Both by my own contemplation, and the observations which I have made by my rational and sensitive perception upon nature, and her works, I find, that nature is but one infinite self-moving body, which by the virtue of its self-motion, is divided into infinite parts, which parts being restless, undergo perpetual changes and transmutations by their infinite compositions and divisions."
In this quotation, the Empress, having gleaned an understanding of natural philosophy, religion, and science, expresses Cavendish's own perception of the natural world. This quotation can be said to express the central philosophy of the novel and Cavendish's own scientific inquiry – that the universe is one "body" composed of multiple, ever-changing parts. Here, the novel relies on the language of vitalism to emphasize what the Empress has learned about the natural world.
"And thus the Empress, by art, and her own ingenuity, did not only convert the Blazing World to her own religion, but kept them in a constant belief, without enforcement or blood-shed; for she knew well, that belief was a thing not to be forced or pressed upon the people, but to be instilled into their minds by gentle persuasions."
When the Empress converts the inhabitants of the Blazing World to her religion, she does so with tact and efficacy. The narrator points out that this conversion happened without violence or coercion, emphasizing how important it is to remain "gentle" in matters of governance. The Empress's approach to the religious conversion suggests that she is a fair, understanding, and benevolent leader whose actions should be mirrored by rulers in the real world.
"Thus those two female souls travelled together as lightly as two thoughts into the Duchess her native world; and which is remarkable, in a moment viewed all the parts of it, and all the actions of all the creatures therein."
In this quotation, the narrator describes the phenomenon of the Empress and the Duchess's souls mingling as they travel through the Duchess's world. This description emphasizes the platonic ideal that the friendship between the two women embodies, suggesting that these bonds are at the heart of societal progress.
"The Empress appeared upon the face of the water in her imperial robes; in some part of her hair she had placed some of the star-stone, near her face, which added such a lustre and glory to it, that it caused a great admiration in all that were present, who believed her to be some celestial creature, or rather an uncreated goddess, and they all had a desire to worship her."
In the second half of the novel, the Empress travels to her former world in order to aid the King of ESFI in a war against invaders. Here, the narrator describes the Empress's arrival in her former world, emphasizing her divine nature and the transformation she has undergone as the leader of the Blazing World. Just as the inhabitants of the Blazing World perceived that she was a goddess, now the inhabitants of her former world see her the same way.
"Great, heroic, and famous monarchs: I came hither to assist the King of ESFI against his enemies, he being unjustly assaulted by many several nations, which would fain take away his hereditary rights and prerogatives of the narrow seas; at which unjustice Heaven was much displeased."
Here, the Empress announces to the people of her former world that she intends to help the King of ESFI in his war against the invading powers. She notes that the King has been "unjustly assaulted," suggesting that his power is absolute. This quotation reflects Cavendish's own political position as a Royalist proponent during the conflict in England during the seventeenth century, conflict that led to the execution of King Charles I and the temporary suspension of the monarchy until the Restoration in 1660.
"If any should like the world I have made, and be willing to be my subjects, they may imagine themselves such, and they are such, I mean, in their minds, fancies or imaginations; but if they cannot endure to be subjects, they may create worlds of their own, and govern themselves as they please."
In the Epilogue of the novel, Cavendish addresses her reader once again, humbly asking them to be her figurative "subjects." But, she notes, those who do not wish to be subjects can instead create worlds of their own. In this conclusion, Cavendish once again forwards her Royalist perspective while at the same time endorsing the power of the imagination and the pursuit of knowledge to keep people free from tyranny.
