Seventeenth-century English romance : allegory, ethics, and politics / Amelia A. Zurcher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zurcher, Amelia A., 1965-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Romance fiction, English--History and criticism.

Romance fiction, English.

English fiction--Early modern, 1500-1700--History and criticism.

English fiction.

Politics and literature--England--History--17th century.

Politics and literature.

Love--Moral and ethical aspects.

Love.

Ethics in literature.

Love in literature.

Self-interest.

History.

England.

Physical Description:

viii, 226 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

17th century English romance

Place of Publication:

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Summary:

Overturning the common characterization of seventeenth-century English prose romance as an exhausted, imitative genre with little bearing on the evolution of the novel, this book argues for the centrality of seventeenth-century romance in key political and moral philosophical debates of its time. Concentrating especially on the intersection between romance and the late humanist problem of self-interest, the book discerns the deeply moral philosophical aspect of prose romances from Sidney' s "Arcadia," through Wroth' s "Urania" and Barclay' s "Argenis," to the dozen or so now little-known Royalist romances from the mid-seventeenth century. The book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of the history of prose fiction and the novel, early modern women' s writing, and those concerned with the political valences of genre and the intersections between literature and moral philosophy.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [189]-219) and index.

ISBN:

1403977526

9781403977526

OCLC:

79004431

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description