The epigram in England, 1590-1640 / James Doelman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Doelman, James, 1963- author.

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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

Epigrams, English.

Physical Description:

xii, 400 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2016.

Summary:

While among the most common of Renaissance genres, the epigram has been largely neglected by scholars and critics: James Doelman's book is the first major study on the Renaissance English epigram since 1947. It combines thorough description of the genre's history and conventions with consideration of the rootedness of individual epigrams within specific social, political and religious contexts. The book explores questions of libel, censorship and patronage associated with the genre, and includes chapters on the sub-genres of the religious epigram, political epigram and mock epitaph. It balances discussion of canonical figures such as Ben Jonson and Sir John Harington with a wide range of lesser known poets, drawing on both manuscript and print sources. In its breadth, The epigram in England serves as a foundational introduction to the genre for students, and through its detailed case studies it offers rich analysis for advanced scholars.

Contents:

Introduction

The classical, medieval and Renaissance inheritance

'A Curter kind of Satyre'? The epigram, proximate genres and terminology

The contexts of epigram composition

Buzzed, scrawled and printed: composition and circulation of topical epigrams

Epigrams in manuscript

Epigrams in print

Authorship

The readers of printed epigram books

Two facets of the epigram: names and responsiveness

The epigram and political comment

The feigned epitaph

The religious epigram

Coda: Harington's 'Of Moyses'

Appendix: The educational experience of major epigrammatists

Select bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 374-391) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Horace Howard Furness Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

0719096448

9780719096440

OCLC:

942707121