British Identities and English Renaissance Literature

Description

Though British history and identity in the early modern period are intensively researched areas, the role of literature in the construction of 'Britishness' is under-examined. English history of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries often overlooks the contribution of Ireland, Scotland and Wales to the formation of the British state. Historians describe 'Britain' as a multiple kingdom, with a long history of conflict. In this 2002 volume, a team of leading Renaissance literary critics read a broad range of texts from the period, including plays of Shakespeare, in light of British history. Prominent historians respond to the issues raised by the volume. This collection opened up a different kind of literary history and has pressing relevance for discussions of 'Britishness'.

"The editors have done very well also in shaping the collection of essays to cohere, not only by virtue of the essays' shared interest in using British history to further our understanding of early modern English literature, but also by their having read and learned from one another. It's a rare thing in a collection to find essays that truly are in conversation with one another, and the editors deserve much praise for it." Sixteenth Century Journal "Invalauble." H-ALBION "The essays are an excellent introduction into a relatively new field." History "This is an intellectually engaging [book]." Journal of Colonialism and Colonial History