Putting History to the Question Power, Politics, and Society in English Renaissance Drama
- List Price: $120.00
- Binding: Hardcover
- Publisher: Columbia Univ Pr
- Publish date: 04/01/2000
Putting History to the Question is the result of Neill's ongoing investigation of how literature provides a revealing portrait of nation, social order, and empire, and how the flow of literary discourse affects the progress of history. Covering dramatic works by Shakespeare, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, and others -- and reflecting upon subjects ranging from social attitudes toward racial difference and adultery to the politics of mercantilism and the hierarchy of master/servant relationships -- the book reenergizes the discussion of Renaissance drama and history.
In exposing the complex and fluid interdependence of literature and history. Neill's book avoids the common practice of elevating literature above the world in which it is produced and read and the equally widespread approach that casts literary texts as mere barometers of political currents. For the many scholars and students accustomed to reading from photocopies of Neill's seminal writings, Putting History to the Question will be a valuable addition to the critical library.