Names in English Renaissance Literature

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Year:
Pages:236
ISBN:0-7734-7397-1
978-0-7734-7397-3
Price:$179.95 + shipping
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These essays are the work of thirty years of research in English Renaissance onomastics. They deal with subjects as varied as dance-names, namelessness and place-names in drama, nominal jests, the varied meanings of a place named Wilderness; names in graffiti, self-defining in subscriptions to familiar letters; and women’s names in elegies. Two essays are on political aspects: one concerning the name of the Earl of Essex, and another on naming in a poem by Sir Walter Raleigh to his queen. One essay concerns humanism and onomastics, another the organic function of onomastics in Shakespeare’s drama.

Reviews

“This book shows the great range of interests in a good literary scholar. . . . At many conferences over the years Dorothy Litt has brought us intriguing insights, a vast array of information, and a wealth of wisdom about the Renaissance . . . Now they are presented in longer form with theoretical underpinnings. . . . This book is fun to read. . . . It is filled with sensuous detail and expert commentary. It will be easily enjoyed by all readers.” – Grant W. Smith, President, American Name Society


“Dorothy Litt’s welcome collection of essays is consistently illuminating and entertaining. Her work shows that choosing a theme (names) and running with it yields important insights. With nary a theoretical cliché in sight, she proves that students of Shakespeare who ignore names overlook significant elements of Shakespeare’s artistry. All readers will benefit from her discussions of Romeo and Juliet and As You Like It.” – Bernice W. Kliman, Professor Emerita, member of 2001 Team, The New Variorum Hamlet

Table of Contents

Table of contents:
Preface; Introduction
1. Dance-Names and Bawdy in the English Renaissance
2. Namelessness in English Renaissance Drama
3. Nominal Jests in Shakespeare’s Plays
4. Place-Names in Shakespeare’s Grand Design for the Henry VI Plays
5. The Power of the Name Essex in 3 Henry VI
6. Romeo, Romeo, Wherefore Art Thou Montague?
7. Toward an Organic Approach to Onomastics in Shakespeare’s Drama
8. Unity of Theme in Volpone
9. Names in English Renaissance Graffiti
10. Names in English Renaissance Graffiti as They Appear in Literature
11. A Romance of Names: The Letter-Book of Dr. Gabriel Harvey
12. Self-Naming and Self-Defining in Subscriptions to Familiar Letters in the English Renaissance
13. The Poetics and Politics of Naming: The Case of Sir Walter Raleigh and His Queen
14. Women’s Names in the English Renaissance Elegy
15. Humanism and Onomastics in the English Renaissance
16. The Idea of the Wilderness in the English Renaissance
17. Nominal Analogy in the English Renaissance
18. Nominal Jesting in the English Renaissance
Index

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