Lecture: Emily Wingfield, Mary and her Books: The Literary Life of Mary, Queen of Scots

This paper draws on research undertaken both for my recent book on Scotland’s Royal Women and European Literary Culture 1424-1587 and for my planned critical edition and translation of the literary works of Mary, Queen of Scots. It asks whether, and why, an examination of the books owned by Mary – into many of which she added her own verse – might offer a new perspective on her infamous life, and it explores the meaningful relationship of those books, and Mary’s literary writings, with broader material culture.