The sage Nightingale and Cassandra: Drafting the future of nursing

Background: In a period of hopelessness motivated by a restrictive Victorian society that confined women to the domestic realm, Florence Nightingale wrote the cathartic Cassandra (1852) in an attempt to trans- form her despair into rebellion. Aims: To discuss Nightingale’s approach to women’s role i...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Choperena-Armendáriz, A. (Ana)|||/items/5bcb81a5-3553-4680-acf2-62ad66957a58, La-Rosa-Salas, V. (Virginia)|||/items/5dbaf103-c969-43b6-824f-230a3f59343e
Formato: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2022
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Navarra
Repositorio:Dadun. Depósito Académico Digital de la Universidad de Navarra
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:dadun.unav.edu:10171/63767
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/10171/63767
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Florence nightingale
Cassandra
Sage writing
Victorian women
Nursing profession
Descrição
Resumo:Background: In a period of hopelessness motivated by a restrictive Victorian society that confined women to the domestic realm, Florence Nightingale wrote the cathartic Cassandra (1852) in an attempt to trans- form her despair into rebellion. Aims: To discuss Nightingale’s approach to women’s role in Cassandra. Methods: Historical Research was used to analyse Cassandra. Data gathered from primary and secondary sources were synthesised and reported in terms of their historical context and significance. Findings: Adopting the genre of ‘sage writing’, Nightingale positions herself as a female messiah in an autoreferential narrative that projects women’s future possibilities for release. Discussion: Assuming the identity of a prophetic Greek heroine cursed to never be believed, Nightingale’s Cassandra claims professional work as the liberating solution for Victorian women. Conclusion: For the first time, Nightingale predicts in Cassandra some incipient prerequisites for a future nursing path for women’s change.