Blackwell Reference Online

In this comprehensive Companion over fifty of the most eminent modern scholars come together to offer an original and far-reaching survey of English Renaissance literature and culture.

The first part of the Companion considers pertinent issues such as humanism, English reformations, the development of the language, court culture and playhouses, in terms of the way in which these aspects of Renaissance culture influenced literary production. There are provocative essays on canonical genres such as love poetry and Jacobean tragedy, but also accounts of popular and occasional drama and verse, and the visual arts.

The Companion also approaches key texts of the period through a number of new readings, providing original perspectives and positions on both canonical and non-canonical texts. The essays include a range of approaches to a variety of texts from The Spanish Tragedy and The Faerie Queen to 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, the poems of Lady Mary Wroth, and a selection of critical elegies.

In the final section, the book moves on to explore contemporary debates in Renaissance studies such as feminism, sexuality, historicism, and nation.

“The volume' awesome range makes it a valuale preserve for scholars and an ambitius reference for students.” The Higher Education Supplement

“This impressive tome must certainly be the last word on English Renaissance literature and culture, at least for some considerable time to come.“ Reference Reviews