The Cambridge Companion To English Literature 1500 1600

The first comprehensive account of English Renaissance literature and the culture which shaped it.

This is the first comprehensive account of English Renaissance literature in the context of the culture which shaped it: the courts of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the tumult of Catholic and Protestant alliances during the Reformation, the age of printing and of New World discovery. In this century courtly literature under Henry VIII moves toward a new, more personal poetry of sentiment, narrative and romance. The development of English prose is seen in the writing of More, Foxe and Hooker and in the evolution of satire and popular culture. Drama moves from the churches to the commercial playhouses with the plays of Kyd, Marlowe and the early careers of Shakespeare and Jonson. The Companion tackles all these subjects in fourteen newly-commissioned essays, written by experts for student readers. A detailed chronology of major literary achievements concludes with a list of authors and their dates.

A wide-ranging survey of the most important medieval authors and genres, designed for students of English.

This volume offers an introduction to British literature that challenges the traditional divide between eighteenth-century and Romantic studies. Contributors explore the development of literary genres and modes through a period of rapid change. They show how literature was shaped by historical factors including the development of the book trade, the rise of literary criticism and the expansion of commercial society and empire. The wide scope of the collection, juxtaposing canonical authors with those now gaining new attention from scholars, makes it essential reading for students of eighteenth-century literature and Romanticism.

Ideal for students, this collection of fifteen specially commissioned essays covers all aspects of Anglo-Saxon literature from 600-1066.

Brings together essays examining English literary culture in the Restoration and early eighteenth century, from Milton and Marvell to Pope and Montagu.

A 2001 Companion providing an overview of the history of writing by women in nineteenth-century America.

Offers a lucid introduction to postcolonial studies, one of the most important strands in recent literary theory and cultural studies.