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Aphra Bont
Anys is Eyam’s midwife and healer, who works alongside her aunt, Mem Gowdie. Although the Gowdies are the only citizens possessing any scientific knowledge, most people fear their power to cure illnesses, and they live on the margins of society. Anys further alienates the townspeople by flagrantly conducting affairs with many men, including other women’s husbands. However, Anna comes to like and admire Anys, both because of her ability to help others and because of her attitude toward men, which allows her to embrace her sexuality and maintain a sense of autonomy. Ultimately, both Anys and Mem are killed by a hysterical mob who believe they are witches responsible for the plague. This episode shows the power of superstition even when science is most needed.
Anys Gowdie Quotes in Year of Wonders
The Year of Wonders quotes below are all either spoken by Anys Gowdie or refer to Anys Gowdie . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2: The Thunder of His Voice
Quotes
Why would I marry? I’m not made to be any man’s chattel. I have my work, which I love. I have my home…but more than these, I have something that very few women can claim: my freedom. I will not lightly surrender it.
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Dark and light, dark and light…that was how I had been taught to view the world. The Puritans who had ministered to us here had held that all actions and thoughts could be only one of two natures: godly and right, or Satanic and evil. But Anys Gowdie confounded such thinking. There was no doubt that she did good: in many ways, the well-being of our village rested more on her works, and those of her aunt, than on the works of the rectory’s occupant. And yet, her fornication and her blasphemy branded her a sinner in the reckoning of our religion.
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Part 2: Sign of a Witch
Quotes
“I have lain with him. Yes! I have lain with the Devil, and he is mighty and cold as ice to the touch. His seed, too, is cold and abundant as a river running between our thighs. For I have not lain with him alone! No! I tell you now, I have seen your wives lie with him! Yours, Brad Hamilton, and yours, John Gordon, and yours too, Martin Highfield!”
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Anys Gowdie Quotes in Year of Wonders
The Year of Wonders quotes below are all either spoken by Anys Gowdie or refer to Anys Gowdie . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 2: The Thunder of His Voice
Quotes
Why would I marry? I’m not made to be any man’s chattel. I have my work, which I love. I have my home…but more than these, I have something that very few women can claim: my freedom. I will not lightly surrender it.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Dark and light, dark and light…that was how I had been taught to view the world. The Puritans who had ministered to us here had held that all actions and thoughts could be only one of two natures: godly and right, or Satanic and evil. But Anys Gowdie confounded such thinking. There was no doubt that she did good: in many ways, the well-being of our village rested more on her works, and those of her aunt, than on the works of the rectory’s occupant. And yet, her fornication and her blasphemy branded her a sinner in the reckoning of our religion.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Part 2: Sign of a Witch
Quotes
“I have lain with him. Yes! I have lain with the Devil, and he is mighty and cold as ice to the touch. His seed, too, is cold and abundant as a river running between our thighs. For I have not lain with him alone! No! I tell you now, I have seen your wives lie with him! Yours, Brad Hamilton, and yours, John Gordon, and yours too, Martin Highfield!”
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