Spiritual Warfare, Radicalism and Gender in Joanna Southcott’s "A Dispute between the Woman and the Powers of Darkness" (1802).

This paper is centred on the prophetess Joanna Southcott (1750-1814) and her iconic A Dispute between the Woman and the Powers of Darkness. Published in 1802 and incorporating clear elements of religious, spiritual, as well as gender conflict, this short hybrid prose mirrors the tensions and anxieties of an entire generation of men and women. Building upon the latest research on her figure and on Millenarian movements (Brown 2002; Bar-Yoseph 2004; Hopkins 2014; Shaw and Lockley 2017; Crome 2019) in early nineteenth-century England, and also including an overview of her rich production, this paper will thus begin discussing Southcott’s position as an Anglican and her interpretation of the concept of religious orthodoxy. A Dispute between the Woman and the Powers of Darkness will show that Eve’s strong opposition against Satan expresses Southcott’s determination to empower women and give them more space in the public sphere. Textual references to Southcott’s more mature production and other unpublished materials will be made especially in the concluding section. In particular, The Prophecies of Joanna Southcott, of Dreadful Judgements that are to Fall on this Nation in the Year 1810 (1810) will clarify that her religious and social commitment represented a response to the turmoil of late modern times.