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Though all but three of Robert Sidney's 332 extant letters to his
wife Barbara Gamage Sidney have been in the Sidney family archive,
they have never previously been fully transcribed or edited. This
edition of the surviving letters, which Sidney wrote to his wife
when they were separated for long periods by his official duties at
various continental locations, provides a wealth of information
about the Sidneys' family life. They touch on matters such as
family illnesses, the children's education, court gossip, finances,
and the construction of additions to Penshurst Place, the seat of
the Sidney family. The letters also offer an extraordinary record
of an early-modern English household in which the wife was
entrusted with the overall responsibility for the well-being of her
family, and for managing a large estate in the absence of her
husband. Sidney's letters show that, although his union with the
wealthy Welsh heiress Barbara Gamage may have been engineered
primarily for political and financial ends, clearly the couple
enjoyed a happy and loving marriage. Their correspondence is full
of endearments, and Robert frequently tells his wife how much he
misses her and their beloved children, including his 'Malkin,'
later Lady Mary Wroth. The volume includes an introduction and
notes by the editors. It also includes contextual materials such as
relevant sections on family matters from letters to Robert from his
trusted agent, Rowland Whyte; and from Robert Sidney's own business
correspondence. The introduction specifically addresses the issue
of Barbara's literacy, within the broader context of
late-Elizabethan women's literacy.
The letters of Dorothy Percy Sidney, Countess of Leicester, dating
predominantly from about 1636 until 1643, cover a wide range of
issues and vividly illustrate her centrality to her illustrious
family's personal and public affairs. These c.100 letters are here
for the first time fully transcribed and edited. The edition
includes a biographical and historical introduction, setting the
context of the Sidneys' family and political activities at the time
of Dorothy's marriage to Robert in 1615 and then tracing the major
events and involvements of her life until her death in 1659. A key
to the cipher used in the letters to disguise identities of
individuals is also supplied. Following the introduction is the
complete text of each of Dorothy Percy Sidney's letters to her
husband, Robert, second Earl of Leicester, and to and from William
Hawkins, the Sidney family solicitor, along with several others,
including letters from Dorothy to Archbishop Laud and the Earl of
Holland. Her husband's account of her last moments in 1659, and
testamentary directions relating to her will, are also included.
The letters are arranged in chronological order and supported by a
series of footnotes that elucidate their historical context and
briefly to identify key individuals, places, political issues and
personal concerns. These notes are further supported by selective
quotations from Dorothy's incoming correspondence and other related
letters and documents. A glossary supplies more detailed
information on 'Persons and Places.' Dorothy Percy Sidney's letters
eloquently convey how, even with her undoubted personal potency and
shrewd intelligence, the multifaceted roles expected of an able and
determined aristocratic early modern Englishwoman-especially when
her husband was occupied abroad on official business-were intensely
demanding and testing.
Though all but three of Robert Sidney's 332 extant letters to his
wife Barbara Gamage Sidney have been in the Sidney family archive,
they have never previously been fully transcribed or edited. This
edition of the surviving letters, which Sidney wrote to his wife
when they were separated for long periods by his official duties at
various continental locations, provides a wealth of information
about the Sidneys' family life. They touch on matters such as
family illnesses, the children's education, court gossip, finances,
and the construction of additions to Penshurst Place, the seat of
the Sidney family. The letters also offer an extraordinary record
of an early-modern English household in which the wife was
entrusted with the overall responsibility for the well-being of her
family, and for managing a large estate in the absence of her
husband. Sidney's letters show that, although his union with the
wealthy Welsh heiress Barbara Gamage may have been engineered
primarily for political and financial ends, clearly the couple
enjoyed a happy and loving marriage. Their correspondence is full
of endearments, and Robert frequently tells his wife how much he
misses her and their beloved children, including his 'Malkin,'
later Lady Mary Wroth. The volume includes an introduction and
notes by the editors. It also includes contextual materials such as
relevant sections on family matters from letters to Robert from his
trusted agent, Rowland Whyte; and from Robert Sidney's own business
correspondence. The introduction specifically addresses the issue
of Barbara's literacy, within the broader context of
late-Elizabethan women's literacy.
'the highest matter in the noblest form' John Donne's description
of the Psalms celebrates not only the perfection of the biblical
psalms but their translation into poetic form by the Sidneys, who
turned them into some of the most accomplished lyric poems of the
English Renaissance. Although it was not printed until the
nineteenth century, the Sidney Psalter was widely read in
manuscript and influenced poets from Donne and Herbert to Milton
and beyond. It turned these well-known and well-loved Psalms into
sophisticated verse, selecting or inventing a different stanza form
for each one. This variety of forms matches the appeal of their
content: there are Psalms of praise and blame, Psalms of cursing
and lamentation, Psalms of joy and exaltation, Psalms that recount
history, and Psalms that describe Creation or divine law. This is
the first complete edition of the Psalter for over forty years. The
Psalms are provided in an authoritative modernized text, with
helpful glosses and notes illuminating points of interpretation,
and an introduction setting the Psalms in their literary and
cultural contexts. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford
World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature
from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's
commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a
wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions
by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text,
up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke, is the most important
Elizabethan woman writer and patron outside the royal family. By
astute use of the genres permitted to women, she supported the
Protestant cause, introduced continental literary genres, expanded
opportunities for later women writers, and influenced
seventeenth-century lyric and drama by such writers as John Donne,
George Herbert, Mary Wroth, and William Shakespeare. This scholarly
edition in two volumes is the first to include all her extant
works: Volume I prints her three original poems, the disputed
`Dolefull Lay of Clorinda', her translations from Petrarch, Mornay,
and Garnier, and all her known letters. Volume II contains her
metrical paraphrases of Psalms 44-150. The edition also provides a
biographical introduction, discussion of her sources and methods of
composition, textual annotation, and a detailed commentary.
Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke and sister to Sir Philip Sidney, is the most important woman writer of the Elizabethan era outside the royal family. This scholarly edition in two volumes is the first to include all her extant works: Volume I prints her three original poems, the disputed 'Dolefull Lay of Clorinda', her translations from Petrarch, Mornay, and Garnier, and all her known letters. Volume II contains her metrical paraphrases of Psalms 44-150. The edition also provides a biographical introduction, discussion of her sources and methods of composition, textual annotation, and a detailed commentary.
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