"English Mercuries" examines war and literature through the
writings of veterans who came home from their deployments to pursue
literary careers. From their often neglected writings emerges a new
picture of the Elizabethan world at war. For centuries Elizabethan
England has been characterized by booming patriotism and martial
energy, and the literature of this period, epitomized in works like
Shakespeare's "Henry V," has been seen as celebrating a proud and
defiant kingdom unified around its wars with Spain. Beneath this
patriotic veneer, however, was a country withering under the costs
of seemingly endless military commitments and ripped apart by
doubts about the purpose of war and mistrust of state officials who
advanced their own political interests through war at the expense
of the people who had to fight and pay for it.
These misgivings are a powerful undercurrent in much of the
literature of the period, even the most ostensibly patriotic works,
but it is in the writings on war by soldier poets where they are
most clearly pronounced. Fashioning themselves as servants of both
Mars and Mercury (the god of war and the god of writing),
Elizabethan soldier poets focused their war stories on the gritty
realities of military campaigning, the price individuals paid for
serving the state, and the difficulties of returning to civilian
life. The book reconsiders some familiar writers like John Donne
and Ben Jonson in the context of their military experiences and
provides comprehensive studies of some important but
underappreciated soldier poets like Thomas Churchyard, George
Gascoigne, and John Harington.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
