The Value of Time in Early Modern English Literature

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book The Value of Time in Early Modern English Literature by Tina Skouen, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Tina Skouen ISBN: 9781351402828
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: October 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Tina Skouen
ISBN: 9781351402828
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: October 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

The stigma of haste pervaded early modern English culture, more so than the so-called stigma of print. The period’s writers were perpetually short on time, but what does it mean for authors to present themselves as hasty or slow, or to characterize others similarly? This book argues that such classifications were a way to define literary value. To be hasty was, in a sense, to be irresponsible, but, in another sense, it signaled a necessary practicality. Expressions of haste revealed a deep conflict between the ideal of slow writing in classical and humanist rhetoric and the sometimes grim reality of fast printing. Indeed, the history of print is a history of haste, which carries with it a particular set of modern anxieties that are difficult to understand in the absence of an interdisciplinary approach. Many previous studies have concentrated on the period’s competing definitions of time and on the obsession with how to use time well. Other studies have considered time as a notable literary theme. This book is the first to connect ideas of time to writerly haste in a richly interdisciplinary manner, drawing upon rhetorical theory, book history, poetics, religious studies and early modern moral philosophy, which, only when taken together, provide a genuinely deep understanding of why the stigma of haste so preoccupied the early modern mind.

The Value of Time in Early Modern English Literature surveys the period from ca 1580 to ca 1730, with special emphasis on the seventeenth century. The material discussed is found in emblem books, devotional literature, philosophical works, and collections of poetry, drama and romance. Among classical sources, Horace and Quintilian are especially important. The main authors considered are: Robert Parsons; Edmund Bunny; King James 1; Henry Peacham; Thomas Nash; Robert Greene; Ben Jonson; Margaret Cavendish; John Dryden; Richard Baxter; Jonathan Swift; Alexander Pope. By studying these writers’ expressions of time and haste, we may gain a better understanding of how authorship was defined at a time when the book industry was gradually taking the place of classical rhetoric in regulating writers’ activities.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The stigma of haste pervaded early modern English culture, more so than the so-called stigma of print. The period’s writers were perpetually short on time, but what does it mean for authors to present themselves as hasty or slow, or to characterize others similarly? This book argues that such classifications were a way to define literary value. To be hasty was, in a sense, to be irresponsible, but, in another sense, it signaled a necessary practicality. Expressions of haste revealed a deep conflict between the ideal of slow writing in classical and humanist rhetoric and the sometimes grim reality of fast printing. Indeed, the history of print is a history of haste, which carries with it a particular set of modern anxieties that are difficult to understand in the absence of an interdisciplinary approach. Many previous studies have concentrated on the period’s competing definitions of time and on the obsession with how to use time well. Other studies have considered time as a notable literary theme. This book is the first to connect ideas of time to writerly haste in a richly interdisciplinary manner, drawing upon rhetorical theory, book history, poetics, religious studies and early modern moral philosophy, which, only when taken together, provide a genuinely deep understanding of why the stigma of haste so preoccupied the early modern mind.

The Value of Time in Early Modern English Literature surveys the period from ca 1580 to ca 1730, with special emphasis on the seventeenth century. The material discussed is found in emblem books, devotional literature, philosophical works, and collections of poetry, drama and romance. Among classical sources, Horace and Quintilian are especially important. The main authors considered are: Robert Parsons; Edmund Bunny; King James 1; Henry Peacham; Thomas Nash; Robert Greene; Ben Jonson; Margaret Cavendish; John Dryden; Richard Baxter; Jonathan Swift; Alexander Pope. By studying these writers’ expressions of time and haste, we may gain a better understanding of how authorship was defined at a time when the book industry was gradually taking the place of classical rhetoric in regulating writers’ activities.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Facing Up to Radical Change in Universities and Colleges by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Continuing Professional Development for Teachers by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book IMF Lending to Developing Countries by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book The Scottish People and the French Revolution by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book When Small Countries Crash by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Autopornography by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Transdisciplinary Perspectives on Childhood in Contemporary Britain by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Communication in the Design Process by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Helvetius by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Post-Revolutionary Politics in Iran by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Psycho-Analytic Insight and Relationships by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book The American Democracy (Works of Harold J. Laski) by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Managing Project Uncertainty by Tina Skouen
Cover of the book Word Plays by Tina Skouen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy