The Making of Sir Philip Sidney (Heritage)

Probably begins translating Duplessis-Mornay's De la verite de la religion chrestienne\ perhaps translates Du Bartas's La Semaine and begins a translation of Psalms. Appointed governor of Flushing; arrives in November. Father and mother die in summer. Sidney, wounded at Zutphen (22 September), dies at Arnhem (17 October).

Does a poet make himself, or do his culture and his fiction make him? Sir Philip Sidney is one of the most popular and enduring of Elizabethan authors, and one of those most preoccupied with the relationship between self, society, and art.

Edward Berry's The Making of Sir Philip Sidney explores how Sidney 'made' or created himself as a poet by 'making' representations of himself in the roles of some of his most literary creations: Philisides, Astrophil, and the intrusive persona of the Defence of Poetry. Focusing on the significance of these and other self-representations throughout Sidney's career, Berry combines biography, social history, and literary criticism to achieve a carefully balanced portrayal of the poet's life and work.

This is a book that makes a significant contribution to our understanding of Sidney, and is likely to appeal to both students and scholars of Sidney, as well as to those wishing to understand the cultural events that shaped this central figure of the English Renaissance.

Electronic Format Disclaimer: Figure 2 removed at the request of the rights holder.

"This study began by asking why Sidney might have been so preoccupied with the creation of literary personae. In chapter 1 we examined various biographical and cultural forces that contributed to such a preoccupation, including, most significantly, the sense of vocational crisis that continued throughout Sidney's career and the doctrine of imitation that shaped so profoundly both education and literary practice in the period. Having explored in later chapters the way in which these forces play themselves out in Sidney's career, with particular attention to the letters to Languet, the 'Old Arcadia, ' 'Astrophil and Stella, ' 'A Defence of Poetry, ' and the 'New Arcadia, ' it seems appropriate to expand the original question and to consider from a broader perspective the significance of this tendency to self-representation."--Back cover Contents 7 Preface 9 Sidney's Life: A Brief Chronology 15 Chapter 1. Imitation and Identity 19 Chapter 2. Friend to Hubert Languet 44 Chapter 3. Self-Portrayals at Court, 1575-9 65 Chapter 4. Philisides in Exile: The Old Arcadia 79 Chapter 5. Astrophil and the Comedy of Love 118 Chapter 6. The Poet as Warrior: A Defence of Poetry 158 Chapter 7. Philisides in Andromana's Court: The New Arcadia 179 Chapter 8. The Autobiographical Impulse: Conclusions 208 Notes 229 Index 253 Sir Philip Sidney is one of the most popular and enduring of Elizabethan authors. This book explores how Sidney created himself as a poet by 'making' representations of himself in the roles of some of his most literary creations. Electronic Format Disclaimer: Figure 2 removed at the request of the rights holder