Understanding Renaissance Literature: Context & Concepts

In this video, I provide an overview of the historical context and key concepts of Renaissance English Literature, which roughly spans 1550-1650 from the reigns of Elizabeth I through James I to Charles I. We look at how drama was central to popular entertainment, the battle between manuscript circulation and print publication, the notion of emulation vs originality - and more. If you're studying Shakespeare, Marlowe, Sidney or any other literature from the Renaissance, then this video will be super useful for you.

00:38 - Context of Renaissance Literature: religion, royals and regulation
04:02 - Concept #1: Drama as a social nexus
08:14 - Concept #2: Circulation vs publication
11:56 - Concept #3: The creative 'copycat'

FURTHER READING RECOMMENDATIONS:

Renaissance Literature, Siobhan Keenan (Edinburgh University Press)
The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Humanism, Jill Kraye (editor) (Cambridge University Press)
The Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1500-1600, Arthur F. Kinney (Cambridge University Press)
Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare, Stephen Greenblatt (The University of Chicago Press)
Early Modern English Poetry: A Critical Companion (Patrick Cheney, Andrew Hadfield, Garett A Sullivan (editors) (Oxford University Press)

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