The Oxford Handbook of English Prose 1500-1640 (Oxford Handbooks)

The Oxford Handbook of English Prose 1500-1640 is the only available overview of early modern English prose writing. It considers the range and variety of the substance and types of English prose, and also analyses the forms and styles of writing adopted in the early modern period. The Oxford Handbook Of English Prose1500-1640 Is The Only Current Overview Of Early Modern English Prose Writing. The Aim Of The Volume Is To Make Prose More Visible As A Subject And As A Mode Of Writing. It Covers A Vast Range Of Material Vital For The Understanding Of The Period: From Jestbooks, Newsbooks, And Popular Romance To The Translation Of The Classics And The Pioneering Collections Of Scientific Writing And Travel Writing; From Diaries, Tracts On Witchcraft, And Domestic Conduct Books To Rhetorical Treatises Designed For A Courtly Audience; From Little Known Works Such As William Baldwin's Beware The Cat, Probably The First Novel In English, To The Bible, The Book Of Common Prayer And Richard Hooker's Eloquent Statement Of Anglican Belief, The Laws Of Ecclesiastical Polity. The Work Not Only Deals With The Range And Variety Of The Substance And Types Of English Prose, But Also Analyses The Forms And Styles Of Writing Adopted In The Early Modern Period, Ranging From The Euphuistic Nature Of Prose Fiction Inaugurated By John Lyly's Mannered Novel, To The Aggressive Polemic Of The Marprelate Controversy; From The Scatological Humour Of Comic Writing To The Careful Modulations Of The Most Significant Sermons Of The Age; And From The Pithy And Concise English Essays Of Francis Bacon To The Ornate And Meandering Style Of John Florio's Translation Of Montaigne's Famous Collection. Each Essay Provides An Overview As Well As Comment On Key Passages, And A Select Guide To Further Reading. -- Publisher's Description. Part I. Translation, Education, And Literary Criticism. Englishing Eloquence: Sixteenth-century Arts Of Rhetoric And Poetics -- All Talk And No Action? Early Modern Political Dialogue -- Commonplacing And Prose Writing: William Baldwin And Robert Burton -- Romance: Amadis De Gaule And John Barclay's Argenis -- Montaigne And Florio -- Italianate Tales: William Painter And George Pettie -- Classical Translation -- Lazarillo De Tormes And The Picaresque In Early Modern England -- Part Ii. Prose Fiction. William Baldwin's Beware The Cat And Other Foolish Writing -- The Adventures Passed By Master George Gascoigne: Experiments In Prose -- 'turne Your Library To A Wardrope': John Lyly And Euphuism -- Robert Greene -- Nashe's Stuff -- Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia -- Topicality In Mary Wroth's Countess Of Montgomery's Urania: Prose Romance, Masque, And Lyric -- Part Iii. Varieties Of Early Modern Prose 1: Public Prose. Utopia And Utopianism -- English Scientific Prose: Bacon, Browne, Boyle -- Richard Hakluyt -- Raphael Holinshed And Historical Writing -- Astrology, Magic, And Witchcraft -- Jest Books -- Political Prose -- Modes Of Satire -- News Writing -- Part Iv. Varieties Of Early Modern Prose 2: Private Prose. Letters -- Diaries -- Life Writing -- Essays -- Domestic Manuals And The Power Of Prose -- Part V. Religious Prose. Immethodical, Incoherent, Unadorned: Style And The Early Modern Bible -- The Style Of Authorship In John Foxe's Acts And Monuments -- The Marprelate Controversy -- Sermons -- The Book Of Common Prayer -- Richard Hooker's Of The Lawes Of Ecclesiasticall Politie -- Part Vi. Major Prose Writers. Gabriel Harvey -- John Knox, George Buchanan, And Scots Prose -- Robert Burton And The Anatomy Of Melancholy -- 'when All Things Shall Confesse Their Ashes': Science And Soul In Thomas Browne. Edited By Andrew Hadfield. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover Contents List of Figures List of Abbreviations List of Contributors Introduction PART I: TRANSLATION, EDUCATION, AND LITERARY CRITICISM 1. Englishing Eloquence: Sixteenth-Century Arts of Rhetoric and Poetics 2. All Talk and No Action? Early Modern Political Dialogue 3. Commonplacing and Prose Writing: William Baldwin and Robert Burton 4. Romance: Amadis de Gaule and John Barclay’s Argenis 5. Montaigne and Florio 6. Italianate Tales: William Painter and George Pettie 7. Classical Translation 8. Lazarillo de Tormes and the Picaresque in Early Modern England PART II: PROSE FICTION 9. William Baldwin’s Beware the Cat and Other Foolish Writing 10. The Adventures Passed by Master George Gascoigne: Experiments in Prose 11. ‘Turne Your Library to a Wardrope’: John Lyly and Euphuism 12. Robert Greene 13. Nashe’s Stuff 14. Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia 15. Topicality in Mary Wroth’s Countess of Montgomery’s Urania: Prose Romance, Masque, and Lyric PART III: VARIETIES OF EARLY MODERN PROSE 1: PUBLIC PROSE 16. Utopia and Utopianism 17. English Scientific Prose: Bacon, Browne, Boyle 18. Richard Hakluyt 19. Raphael Holinshed and Historical Writing 20. Astrology, Magic, and Witchcraft 21. Jest Books 22. Political Prose 23. Modes of Satire 24. News Writing PART IV: VARIETIES OF EARLY MODERN PROSE 2: PRIVATE PROSE 25. Letters 26. Diaries 27. Life Writing 28. Essays 29. Domestic Manuals and the Power of Prose PART V: RELIGIOUS PROSE 30. Immethodical, Incoherent, Unadorned: Style and the Early Modern Bible 31. The Style of Authorship in John Foxe’s Acts and Monuments 32. The Marprelate Controversy 33. Sermons 34. The Book of Common Prayer 35. Richard Hooker’s Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie PART VI: MAJOR PROSE WRITERS 36. Gabriel Harvey 37. John Knox, George Buchanan, and Scots Prose 38. Robert Burton and The Anatomy of Melancholy 39. ‘When all things shall confesse their ashes’: Science and Soul in Thomas Browne Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z The Oxford Handbook of English Prose 1500-1640 is the only current overview of early modern English prose writing. The aim of the volume is to make prose more visible as a subject and as a mode of writing. It covers a vast range of material vital for the understanding of the period: from jestbooks, newsbooks, and popular romance to the translation of the classics and the pioneering collections of scientific writing and travel writing; from diaries, tracts on witchcraft, and domestic conduct books to rhetorical treatises designed for a courtly audience; from little known works such as William Baldwin's Beware the Cat, probably the first novel in English, to The Bible, The Book of Common Prayer and Richard Hooker's eloquent statement of Anglican belief, The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. The work not only deals with the range and variety of the substance and types of English prose, but also analyses the forms and styles of writing adopted in the early modern period, ranging from the Euphuistic nature of prose fiction inaugurated by John Lyly's mannered novel, to the aggressive polemic of the Marprelate controversy; from the scatological humour of comic writing to the careful modulations of the most significant sermons of the age; and from the pithy and concise English essays of Francis Bacon to the ornate and meandering style of John Florio's translation of Montaigne's famous collection. Each essay provides an overview as well as comment on key passages, and a select guide to further reading. This volume is the only current overview of early modern English prose writing. The aim of the volume is to make prose more visible as a subject and as a mode of writing. It covers a vast range of material vital for the understanding of the period: from jestbooks, newsbooks, and popular romance to the translation of the classics and the pioneering collections of scientific writing and travel writing; from diaries, tracts on witchcraft, and domestic conduct books to rhetorical treatises designed for a courtly audience; from little known works such as William Baldwin's 'Beware the Cat', probably the first novel in English, to The Bible, 'The Book of Common Prayer' and Richard Hooker's eloquent statement of Anglican belief, 'The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity'