Author : Andrew Hadfield
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521118859
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (188 download)
Book Synopsis Literature, Politics and National Identity by : Andrew Hadfield
Download or read book Literature, Politics and National Identity written by Andrew Hadfield and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2009-09-03 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many years C. S. Lewis's dismissal of the sixteenth century as a 'drab age' influenced literary scholars. Andrew Hadfield offers a challenging reinterpretation, through study of the work of some of the century's most important writers, including Skelton, Bale, Sidney, Spenser, Baldwin and the Earl of Surrey. He argues that all were involved in the establishment of a vernacular literary tradition as a crucial component of English identity, yet also wished to use the category of 'literature' to create a public space for critical political debate. Conventional assumptions - that pre-modern and modern history are neatly separated by the Renaissance, and that literary history is best studied as an autonomous narrative - are called into question: this book is a study of literary texts, but also a contribution to theories and histories of politics, national identity and culture.