Nation, state, and empire in English renaissance literature : Shakespeare to Milton

Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. For Andrew Hadfield -friend, Roman, countryman and lender of ears. v Contents Acknowledgements ix ## Foreword John Kerrigan xi Earlier versions of the named chapters appeared in the following publications, and the original editors and publishers are gratefully acknowledged. This Book Explores The Vexed Issues Raised For English Renaissance Literature By The Impact Of Two Recent Paradigms; The New British History And Postcolonial Criticism. The Formation Of The British State Is Increasingly On The Agenda, As Critics Grapple With The Extent To Which 'english' Identity Is Bound Up With The Emergence Of 'britain'. Nation, State And Empire In English Renaissance Literature Explores This Fresh Conjunction, Mapping Out The Contours Of A 'multiple-kingdom'. The Work Is Situated At The Interface Between Literature And History, And At The Cutting Edge Of Studies Of The Period, Showing The Shaping Power Of Literature In Creating And Contesting National And Colonial Identities. Through Detailed Readings Of Major Canonical Authors Including Shakespeare, Spenser And Milton, A Picture Emerges Of A Complex Polity Constructed On Fragile Foundations. This Volume Charts A Dramatic Shift From Irish To British Concerns In The Subtle Interplay Of The Themes Of Union, Plantation And Conquest.--jacket. Foreword / John Kerrigan -- Introduction: Fostering Discussion -- From The Irish Question To The British Problem By Way Of The English Renaissance -- 1. 'this Sceptred Isle': Shakespeare And The British Problem -- 2. Postcolonial Cymbeline: Sovereignty And Succession From Roman To Renaissance Britain -- 3. Shakespeare, Holinshed And Ireland: Resources And Con-texts -- 4. Forms Of Discrimination In Spenser's A View Of The State Of Ireland (1596; 1633): From Dialogue To Silence -- 5. 'another Britain?' Bacon's Certain Considerations Touching The Plantation In Ireland (1606; 1657) -- 6. Fording The Nation: Abridging History In Perkin Warbeck (1633) -- 7. Milton's Observations (1649) And 'the Complication Of Interests' In Early Modern Ireland. Willy Maley. Includes Bibliographical References (p. ) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xvii Introduction: Fostering Discussion — From the Irish Question to the British Problem by Way of the English Renaissance....Pages 1-6 ‘This Sceptred Isle’: Shakespeare and the British Problem....Pages 7-29 Postcolonial Cymbeline: Sovereignty and Succession from Roman to Renaissance Britain....Pages 31-44 Shakespeare, Holinshed and Ireland: Resources and Con-texts....Pages 45-61 Forms of Discrimination in Spenser’s A View of the State of Ireland (1596; 1633): From Dialogue to Silence....Pages 63-91 ‘Another Britain’? Bacon’s Certain Considerations Touching the Plantation in Ireland (1606; 1657)....Pages 93-112 Fording the Nation: Abridging History in Perkin Warbeck (1633)....Pages 113-133 Milton’s Observations (1649) and ‘the Complication of Interests’ in Early Modern Ireland....Pages 135-148 Back Matter....Pages 149-185 This book, original in emphasis, daring in execution, maps out the shaping power of English Renaissance literature in creating and contesting national and colonial identities through the work of major canonical authors including Shakespeare, Spenser and Milton. Informed throughout by the burgeoning fields of the new British history and postcolonial criticism, this volume marks a dramatic shift in studies of the early modern period, from Irish to British concerns, thus accounting for the interplay of union, plantation, and conquest.