Poets and Power from Chaucer to Wyatt (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature, Series Number 61) - Softcover

Meyer-Lee, Robert J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521117062 ISBN 13: 9780521117067

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2009

Synopsis

In the early fifteenth century, English poets responded to a changed climate of patronage, instituted by Henry IV and successor monarchs, by inventing a new tradition of public and elite poetry. Following Chaucer and others, Hoccleve and Lydgate brought to English verse a style and subject matter writing about their King, nation, and themselves, and their innovations influenced a continuous line of poets running through and beyond Wyatt. A crucial aspect of this tradition is its development of ideas and practices associated with the role of poet laureate. Robert J. Meyer-Lee examines the nature and significance of this tradition as it developed from the fourteenth century to Tudor times, tracing its evolution from one author to the next. This study illuminates the relationships between poets and political power and makes plain the tremendous impact this verse has had on the shape of English literary culture.

About this title

Book Description:

Robert J. Meyer-Lee examines the tradition of Laureate verse as it develops from the fourteenth century to Tudor times. This study sheds light on the relationships between poets and political power and reveals the importance of this verse for the course of English literary history.

About the Author:

Robert J. Meyer-Lee is Assistant Professor of English at Goshen College.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0521117062
• ISBN 13: 9780521117067
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 316