A History of Seventeenth-Century English Literature

A History of Seventeenth-century English Literature outlines significant developments in the English literary tradition over a fascinating century of change and continuities.

After a thorough consideration of the conditions for literary production and consumption in the early seventeenth century, this volume continues with the major dynastic disruption of the end of the house of Tudor and the inception of the Stuart era, bringing with it major shifts in patterns of patronage and significant readjustments in dominant religious and political ideologies. Central chapters deal with the glittering court culture of Charles I (and reactions to it), with the cultural impact of the Civil War, and with the complex challenges the Restoration posed to writers across the political spectrum. It ends with the completion of the Williamite revolution, which reorders cultural relations within the ruling elite, marks a new phase for dissenting writers, alters the nature of press control, and coincides with the transformation of the reading public.