Written by various experts in the field, this volume of
thirteen original essays explores some of the most significant
theoretical and practical fault lines and controversies in
seventeenth-century English literature. The turn into the
twenty-first century is an appropriate time to take stock of the
state of the field, and, as part of that stock-taking, the need
arises to assess both where literary study of the early modern
period has been and where it might desirably go. Hence, many of the
essays in this collection look both backward and forward. They
chart the changes in the field over the past half century, while
also looking forward to more change in the future. Some of the
essays collected here explore the points of friction,
vulnerability, and division that have emerged in literary study of
all periods at the end of the twentieth century, such as theory,
gender, sexuality, race, and religion. Others are more narrowly
focused on fault lines and controversies peculiar to the study of
Renaissance and seventeenth-century literature. At the same time
nearly all of these essays examine and illuminate particular works
of literature. They engage theory, but they also illustrate their
points concretely by enacting practical criticism of works by
authors ranging from Bacon to Milton. What emerges from the
collection is a sense of the field's dynamism and vitality. The
dominant mood of the essays is a cautious optimism, and, while the
contributors are by no means complacent, they all share a belief
that the fault lines that have emerged in the field are variously
and valuably instructive. By exposing these fault lines the
essayists seek a means of acknowledging differences and
disagreements without covering them up. They also constructively
suggest ways of addressing the issues as a prerequisite to bridging
them. By broaching some of the most significant questions that
animate the study of early modern literature at the turn into a new
century, this volume will be of great value to any student or
scholar of seventeenth-century literature.
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