Britain - Historical Biography - Rulers & Royal Families, Literary Criticism - General & Miscellaneous, Abuse & Violence, Renaissance - History, Politics & Literature, Great Britain - Pre-20th Century - Politics & Government, Family Abuse & Violence, Art

Monarchy and incest in Renaissance England

Name: Monarchy and incest in Renaissance England
Author: Bruce Thomas Boehrer
ISBN: 9780812231342

by Bruce Thomas Boehrer

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Overview

In dissolving his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII claimed that Catherine's brief marriage to Henry's deceased brother, Arthur, had rendered the subsequent union incestuous. Henry's next marriage could be called incestuous as well, for Anne Boleyn's sister Mary had been the king's mistress before her. But early rumor hinted at an even darker incestuous connection between Henry and Anne; she was, some charged, not only the king's lover, but his illegitimate daughter. Monarchy and Incest in Renaissance England argues that a preoccupation with incest is built into the dominant social and cultural concerns of early modern England. Proceeding from a study of Henry VIII's divorce and succession legislation through the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I, this work examines the interrelation between family politics and literary expression in and around the English royal court. Boehrer contends that themes of incest appear irregularly and prominently in the imaginative literature of the period. Some fifty extant plays from 1559 to 1658 deal either explicitly or implicitly with the subject. Incest emerges as a structural motif in texts as diverse as The Faerie Queene and Paradise Lost, and figures at least implicitly in nondramatic works by Jonson, Chapman, Shakespeare, and others. Monarchy and Incest in Renaissance England explores the response to, and modification of cultural anxieties regarding family structure. It is a brilliant and original work that will be of interest to scholars and students of English Renaissance literature and history, as well as of cultural studies.

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Discusses methodology as applied to practical tissue diagnosis. Focuses on human disease, excluding discussion of animal, plant, and microbiological applications. The spectrum of currently available monoclonal antibodies is considered, and each is examined in relation to its utility in solving differential diagnostic problems. The work covers those reagents that seem to be moving into the forefront of current practical use. Recounts the issues of incest that surrounded the various liaisons of Henry VIII, and shows how the theme was explicitly or implicitly dealt with in some 50 extant plays from 1559-1658. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Proceeding from a study of Henry VIII's divorce & succession legislation through the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I, this work examines the interrelation between family politics & literary expression in & around the English royal court, showing how the theme of incest appears regularly in the imaginative literature of the day.