English Literature in the 16th Century (OHEL)

C. S. Lewis offers a magisterial take on the literature and poetry of one of the most consequential periods in world history, providing deep insight into some of the greatest writers of the age, including Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, William Tyndale, John Knox, Dr. Johnson, Richard Hooker, Hugh Latimer, Christopher Marlowe, John Donne, and Thomas Cranmer.

English Literature in the Sixteenth Century is an invigorating overview of English literature from the Norman Conquest through the mid-seventeenth century from one of the greatest public intellectuals of the modern age. In this wise, distinctive collection, C. S. Lewis expounds on the profound impact prose and poetry had on both British intellectual life and his own critical thinking and writing, demonstrated in his deep reflections and essays.

This incisive work is essential for any serious literature scholar, intellectual Anglophile, or C. S. Lewis fan.

Contents:

Preface

Introduction

Book I: Late Medieval

1. The Close of the Middle Ages in Scotland
2. The Close of the Middle Ages in England

Book II: 'Drab'

1. Drab Age Prose: Religious Controversy and Translation
2. Drab Age Verse
3. Drab and Transitional Prose

Book III: 'Golden'

1. Sidney and Spenser
2. Prose in the 'Golden' Period
3. Verse in the 'Golden' Period

Epilogue: New Tendencies

Chronological Table
Bibliography
Index