The multi-faceted nature of dissenting verse is demonstrated, from the sonnets of the Quaker Martin Mason to the self-consciously 'witty' acrostic used to commemorate the Fifth Monarchist Vavasor Powe
The Faber Early Organ Series is among the most comprehensive anthologies of early organ music ever published. In 18 volumes it spans two centuries and six geographical regions, presenting a broad and
Before the Restoration of Charles II there were no professional actresses on the English stage, and female roles had almost always been played by men. This book describes how and why women were permitted to act on the public stage after 1660, and the consequences of their arrival for the drama of the period. Elizabeth Howe opens up a fascinating subject to non-specialists. Beginning with a general account of the workings of Restoration theatre, she goes on to explain the advent of the actresses and how they were treated. Perceived predominantly as sex objects, the actresses' sexuality was variously exploited in ways that had important consequences for drama. The book addresses questions that are relevant to women's issues in every period: how far did the advent of real women players alter dramatic portrayals of women? Did this encourage more or less equality between the sexes? Although in one sense merely playthings for a small male elite, the pioneering actresses also represent a dist
This revisionist study of Restoration literature and culture demonstrates how important the decades between 1660 and 1700 were in transforming, enlarging and diversifying English-language poetry. Wright challenges the longstanding narrative of Restoration poetry as a male, urban, London-centric form obsessed with the contemporary, arguing persuasively that this schema omits crucial literary works and relationships. Framed around three detailed case studies of neglected aspects of Restoration poetry, the book explores the depth of Spenser's influence, the importance of poetry flourishing in Ireland, the significance of natural landscapes and the vital role of women: both as readers, and writers. This book presents a diverse literary Restoration steeped in historical self-awareness and anxieties, engaged with the world outside England's capital, and open to new voices. Its impressive scope encompasses myriad little-known writers, while extensive historical research underpins its fresh pe
This revisionist study of Restoration literature and culture demonstrates how important the decades between 1660 and 1700 were in transforming, enlarging and diversifying English-language poetry. Wright challenges the longstanding narrative of Restoration poetry as a male, urban, London-centric form obsessed with the contemporary, arguing persuasively that this schema omits crucial literary works and relationships. Framed around three detailed case studies of neglected aspects of Restoration poetry, the book explores the depth of Spenser's influence, the importance of poetry flourishing in Ireland, the significance of natural landscapes and the vital role of women: both as readers, and writers. This book presents a diverse literary Restoration steeped in historical self-awareness and anxieties, engaged with the world outside England's capital, and open to new voices. Its impressive scope encompasses myriad little-known writers, while extensive historical research underpins its fresh pe
Allardyce Nicoll's History of English Drama, 1660–1900 was an immense scholarly achievement and the work of one man. Nicoll's History, which tells the story of English drama from the reopening of the theatres at the time of the Restoration right through to the end of the Victorian period, was viewed by Notes and Queries (1952) as 'a great work of exploration, a detailed guide to the untrodden acres of our dramatic history, hitherto largely ignored as barren and devoid of interest'. The History is reissued in seven paperback volumes, available separately and as a set. In volumes 1–5 Nicoll describes the conditions of the stage, actors and managers as well as dramatic genres. The sixth and seventh volumes offer a comprehensive list of all the plays known to have been produced or printed in England between 1660 and 1930, with their authors and alternative titles; it has thus independent value as well as providing an index to the earlier volumes.
First published in 1950 this is a critical study of changes in religious thought in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Dr Cragg's main concern is with the eclipse of Calvinism, the Cambridge Platonists, the religious significance of Locke, Toland and the rise of Deism, the relationship between the Church and the Civil power and the question of religious toleration. In its original form this book was awarded the Archbishop Cranmer Prize for 1945.
This 2006 introduction aims to share with readers the author's enjoyment of the turbulent 240-year history of a theatre that tried, often against the odds, to be 'modern'. In each of its five parts, it deals successively with history and cultural context, with the plays and the actors who caught the imagination of their era. Peter Thomson's text, always approachable, is enriched by quotations and carefully selected illustrations that capture 'the spirit of the age' under consideration. Beginning with the reopening of the playhouses under licence from Charles II, Thomson introduces the modern English theatre by breaking off at key dates - 1700, 1737, 1789 and 1843 - in order to explore both continuity and innovation. Familiar names and well-known plays feature alongside the forgotten and neglected. This is a reading of dramatic history that keeps constantly in mind the material circumstances that produced, and sometimes oppressed, a supremely popular theatre.
The career of the French saint Vincent de Paul has attracted the attention of hundreds of authors since his death in 1660, but the fate of his legacy - entrusted to the body of priests called the Cong
Between 1660 and 1700, London established itself as the capital and commercial hub of a thriving Atlantic empire, accounting for three quarters of the nation's colonial trade, and playing a vital coordinating role in an increasingly coherent Atlantic system. Nuala Zahedieh's unique study provides the first detailed picture of how that mercantile system was made to work. By identifying the leading colonial merchants, she shows through their collective experiences how London developed the capabilities to compete with its continental rivals and ensure compliance with the Navigation Acts. Zahedieh shows that in making mercantilism work, Londoners helped to create the conditions which underpinned the long period of structural change and economic growth which culminated in the Industrial Revolution.
Between 1660 and 1700, London established itself as the capital and commercial hub of a thriving Atlantic empire, accounting for three quarters of the nation's colonial trade, and playing a vital coordinating role in an increasingly coherent Atlantic system. Nuala Zahedieh's unique study provides the first detailed picture of how that mercantile system was made to work. By identifying the leading colonial merchants, she shows through their collective experiences how London developed the capabilities to compete with its continental rivals and ensure compliance with the Navigation Acts. Zahedieh shows that in making mercantilism work, Londoners helped to create the conditions which underpinned the long period of structural change and economic growth which culminated in the Industrial Revolution.
This anthology brings together a stimulating and entertaining collection of works from the confident and creative period of 1660-1700. The literature of this time is by turns refined, poignant, and br