Vulgar eloquence
Subtitle: on the Renaissance invention of English literature
By: Sean Keilen.
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: New Haven
Language: eng
Number of pages: 224
ISBN-13: 9780300110128
Subjects: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Knowledge -- Ornithology; Whitney, Geffrey, 1548?-1601?; Milton, John, 1608-1674; English literature -- Early modern, 1500-1700 -- History and criticism; English literature -- Classical influences; Orpheus (Greek mythology) in literature; Mythology, Classical, in literature; Nightingale in literature; Renaissance -- England; Birds in literature
Description: "This original book challenges prevailing accounts of English literary history, arguing that English literature emerged as a distinct category during the late sixteenth century, as England's relationship with classical Rome was suffering an unprecedented strain. Exploring the myths through which poets such as Geffrey Whitney, William Shakespeare, and John Milton understood the nature of their art, Sean Keilen shows how they invented archaic origins for a new kind of writing."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Choosing Orpheus : the English eloquence of Whitney's Emblemes; title: Shakespeare's "wild musick"; title: The ancient neighborhood of Milton's Maske.