The Art of English Poesy

by George Puttenham and Richard Puttenham

Book Overview

George Puttenham's Art of English Poesy is a foundational work of English Renaissance criticism and literary theory. Rich in detail about the nature, purpose, and functions of poetry as well as the poet's character and goals, it is also a valuable historical document, offering generous insight into Elizabethan court culture, implicitly on display in the attitudes and values of the writer. His illustrative anecdotes enable us to watch European courtiers negotiating their social and political relationships with one another as well as with rulers and social inferiors.

This new critical edition of The Art of English Poesy contains the first modernized and fully annotated edition of Puttenham's 1589 text; a substantial introductory essay by Frank Whigham and Wayne A. Rebhorn; a comprehensive bibliography; several glossaries and appendixes; and an index. The editors' masterly essay introduces Puttenham to modern readers and situates The Art of English Poesy in the context of the rhetorical theory, poetics, and courtly conduct of its time. The introduction also includes a concise biography of Puttenham based on a variety of new and unfamiliar data: he married an older and much richer woman whom he badly mistreated; indulged habitually in a life of sexual predation; was repeatedly sued, arrested, and imprisoned; survived several supposed attempts on his life; and died, nearly indigent, in 1591. For scholars and students of the English Renaissance, the Cornell edition of The Art of English Poesy should prove the definitive edition of Puttenham's major work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801486521
• ISBN13: 9780801486524
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A revelation

Some people think that George Puttenham wrote this anonymous work. Others think it was Lord Lumley. Whoever wrote it suffered terribly from the ban on publication imposed on noblemen. The work is a diatribe on this subject that shows great personal feeling and despair. It is not imposible that Lord Oxford may have written some of it. Whatever the truth of the matter (which may never be known) this is a seminal work that should be thoroughly and carefully studied by anyone interested in Elizabethan literature. All scholars should be steeped in it becuase of the many insights it sheds on what life was like for writers at that time. The central thesis is that such a ban did not exist in classical times and there is therefore no reason why the brilliant court writers of 1589 should not be allowed to take credit for their works, many of which are of surpassing excellence. There are many highlights here, such as the biography of the Roman actor Roscius, whom Hamlet refers to. The fact that Roscius was so disfigured that he always had to perform in a mask is made much of, and may shed some light on why Hamlet refers to him while talking with Polonius. This would be an excellent candidate for excerpting for high school text books,as much of it is fascinating and memorable. Don't miss it.