The Seventeenth Century: The Intellectual and Cultural Context of English Literature, 1603-1700

Description

The seventeenth century was a period of immense turmoil. This book explores the methods by which a distinctive iconography was created for each Stuart king, describes the cultural life of the Civil War period and the Cromwellian Protectorate, and analyses the impact of the antiquarian movement which constructed a new sense of national identity. Through this detailed and fascinating discussion of seventeenth-century society, Graham Parry provides a clear insight into the many forces operating on the literature of the period. The first part of this work is devoted to the arts as an expression of cultural attitudes. The author emphasizes the importance of court culture because of its importance throughout most of the century as the focus of the nation's cultural energies and as a great source of patronage. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Plates Acknowledgements Editor's Preface Longman Literature in English Series Author's Preface Introduction Part One 1. The Character of Jacobean Kingship, 1603‒1625 2. The Iconography of Charles I, 1625‒1649 3. The Arts in Stuart England Biography Sir Henry Wotton Lady Anne Clifford 4. Cultural Life during the Civil Wars and the Commonwealth, 1642‒1659 5. The Restoration Ethos, 1660‒1688 Biography John Evelyn Part Two 6. The Scientific Milieu Biography Sir Kenelm Digby 7. Antiquarianism: The Relevance of the Past 8. Varieties of Religious Experience Biography Sir Thomas Browne Richard Baxter 9. Political Theory Postscript Chronology General Bibliographies (i) Cultural and intellectual history (ii) Religion (iii) Politics and political thought (iv) The scientific movement (v) Art and architecture (vi) Music (vii) Social history Individual Authors Notes on biography, major works, and suggested further reading Index