Eukleria, or Choosing the Better Part

What happens when the most celebrated female intellectual of the 17th century decides to set her entire reputation on fire? Anna Maria van Schurman’s 'Eukleria' is a radical manifesto of renunciation, documenting her journey from the pinnacle of the 'Republic of Letters' to the humble, persecuted life of a Labadist ascetic. Readers will discover a fierce critique of secular academia and a soul-baring quest for the 'Better Part'—a life of primitive Christian simplicity that shocked the European establishment.