English Renaissance Studies Presented to Dame Helen Gardner in honour of her seventieth birthday

In this study, L.E. Semler begins with a comprehensive, historical definition of Mannerism in visual arts from which he derives four key terms that constitute the nucleus of the aesthetic: technical precision, elegance, grazia, and the difficulta:facilita formula. These principles - interwoven with one another and with maniera - are derived from visual arts but are specifically designed to be transferable to any medium. The rest of the book situates the English poets in relation to the visual arts - including painting, limning, gold- and silversmithery, architecture, and garden design - and discusses their verse in relation to the key Mannerist principles.

A Sidney Chronology: 1554-1654 offers a comprehensive chronological survey of the literary, political and personal history of the Sidney family of Penshurst Place, Kent. As royal servants, courtiers, diplomats, soldiers, writers and patrons of numerous other authors, the Sidneys occupied a central position in the development of Early-Modern English literature. Particular attention is paid to the lives and writings of Sir Philip Sidney; Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke; Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester; and Lady Mary Wroth.

This bibliography will give comprehensive coverage to published commentary in English on Shakespeare and the Classical Tradition during the period from 1961-1985. Doctoral dissertations will also be included. Each entry will provide a clear and detailed summary of an item's contents. For pomes and plays based directly on classical sources like Antony and Cleopatra and The Rape of Lucrece, virtually all significant scholarly work during the period covered will be annotated. For other works such as Hamlet, any scholarship that deals with classical connotations will be annotated. Any other bibliographies used in the compiling of this volume will be described with emphasis on their value to a student of Shakespeare and the Classics.

The diverse and controversial world of contemporary Milton studies is brought alive in this stimulating Companion. Winner of the Milton Society of America's Irene Samuels Book Award in 2002. Invites readers to explore and enjoy Milton's rich and fascinating work. Comprises 29 fresh and powerful readings of Milton's texts and the contexts in which they were created, each written by a leading scholar. Looks at literary production and cultural ideologies, issues of politics, gender and religion, individual Milton texts, other relevant contemporary texts and responses to Milton over time. Devotes a whole chapter to each major poem, and four to Paradise Lost. Conveys the excitement of recent developments in the field.

Another volume in the distinguished annual