Tendencies In Renaissance Literary Theory

Why was literature so often defended and defined in early modern England in terms of its ability to provide the Horatian ideal of both profit and pleasure? This book, first published in 2000, analyses Renaissance literary theory in the context of social transformations of the period, focusing on conflicting ideas about gentility that emerged as the English aristocracy evolved from a feudal warrior class to a civil elite. Through close readings centered on works by Thomas Elyot, Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser, Matz argues that literature attempted to mediate a complex set of contradictory social expectations. His original study engages with important theoretical work such as Pierre Bourdieu's and offers a substantial critique of New Historicist theory. It challenges recent accounts of the power of Renaissance authorship, emphasizing the uncertain status of literature during this time of cultural change, and sheds light on why and how canonical works became canonical.

Interprets the rhetoric and poetry of the Renaissance afresh from typical theory and practice as the first step toward interpreting those traditions of criticism which were most influential in the middle ages.

Reproduction of the original: A History of Literary Criticism in the Renaissance by Joel Elias Spingarn

A History of Literary Criticism in the Renaissance is a book by Joel Elias Spingarn. It focuses on the impact of Italy in the development and expansion of modern classicism.

The editors of this book have brought together a collection of first-rate essays that display the range and fecundity of contemporary theory.--Ralph Flores, Philosophy and Literature.