Major Tudor Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

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Major Tudor Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

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The Tudor era (1485-1603) was one of the most culturally significant periods in history. Under three generations of Tudor rulers, the era witnessed the advent of humanism, the birth of the Reformation, and the rise of the British Empire. The literature of this period is marked by complexity of thought and form and reflects the political, religious, and cultural changes of the era. Within slightly more than a century, literture in English evolved from the late medieval, mostly in Scotland, to high renaissance, mostly in England. Classical myth merged with Christian teaching, continental thinkers influenced English culture, and the developments in science fostered the growth of early modern civilization. This reference book is a guide to the rich and diverse literature of Tudor England. Included are entries for nearly 100 people who wrote between 1485 and 1603. The entries are written by expert contributors and are arranged alphabetically to facilitate use. Some of the authors profiled are major canonical figures, such as Shakespeare, Spenser and Donne. But the volume also includes a significant number of entries for women writers, whose work has been unjustly disregarded until recent years. While most of the authors were from England, the volume contains entries on figures such as Erasmus, who, though born in another country, wrote important works in England, and other writers such as Machiavelli, Calvin, Ariosto and Tasso, whose works were almost immediately adopted, translated, or otherwise made part of Tudor culture. Each entry provides a brief biography, which is followed by a discussion of major works and themes, a review of the author's critical reception and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources.

Review
"Alan Hager has put together a rich sourcebook on biographical and bibliographical materials needed for an understanding of the Renaissance. The wealth of figures represented–Aretino, Bacon, Castiglione, Erasmus, Gascoigne, Hoby, Puttenham, Tyndale, and many others–attests to the variety and accomplishment of the period, while the equally rich assortment of scholars assembled here gives lively testimony to the healthy and interdisciplinary state of Renaissance studies. This is a handy and elegant book."-David Bevington Phyllis Fay Horton Professor in the Humanities University of Chicago

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Major Tudor Authors: A Bio-bibliographical Critical Sourcebook

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