Constant minds : political virtue and the Lipsian paradigm in England, 1584-1650 / Adriana McCrea.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCrea, Adriana Alice Norma, 1951-

Series:

Mental and cultural world of Tudor and Stuart England

The mental and cultural world of Tudor and Stuart England

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lipsius, Justus, 1547-1606--Influence.

Lipsius, Justus.

Lipsius, Justus, 1547-1606.

Political science--England--History--16th century.

Political science.

Political science--England--History--17th century.

Humanists--England.

Humanists.

History.

England.

Physical Description:

xxxi, 342 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1997.

Summary:

In Response to the Crisis Provoked by the Wars of religion in Europe in the sixteenth century, the Flemish philosopher Lipsius developed a synthesis of stoic morality and Tacitean political analysis called 'the Lipsian paradigm, ' or neostoicism. The paradigm rendered adaptation to the prevailing political circumstances, the practice of 'mixed prudence, ' or knowing the circumstances in which to apply deceit, and the role of historical example as a guide to contemporary action as political virtues in addition to looking to historical examples for means of contemporary action.

Constant Minds investigates the reception and use of Lipsian ideas in the moral, political, and literary culture of late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century England through examination of the writings and activities of Walter Raleigh, Francis Bacon, Fulke Greville, Ben Jonson, and Joseph Hall. Adriana McCrea demonstrates how this continental school of thought permeated the political ideas of these English writers, and places her study in the contexts of the literary conventions of the humanist tradition, the political events of the time, and the activities and circles of the authors themselves. McCrea's study fuses intellectual history with political history and literary analysis, prompting new questions about the nature of English Renaissance humanism as well as the nature of political perception in England during the early modern period.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0802006663

OCLC:

38853730