A century of religious, philosophical and political turmoil, the Renaissance was also the age of the great flourishing of the English stage and English verse.
In this module you will study Renaissance love poetry and learn about the sonnet, court literature, and the circulation of manuscripts. You will learn about the great writers of the canon, and some less familiar figures too, such as the female writers, who appropriated literary forms conventionally associated with men, and turned them to their own ends.
Moving from the focus on “love”, to the darker theme of “death”, some of the most extraordinary literature of this time is engaged with the religious turmoil and culture of martyrdom associated with the Reformation.
Finally, bringing these themes together, this module also explores Renaissance innovation in the theatre, and the revenge play, in which love, desire and death are intermingled and intertwined to horrifying effect.
Module content note: topics include traumas such as suicide, racism, rape, emotional and physical violence, and death. Please contact the Module Supervisor Dr. P. Gillies if you have any questions.