This work examines literary criticism in English Renaissance literature in the light of what was possibly the defining characteristic of the period, a belief in the power of eloquence. A consideration of the concept of eloquence itself is a prevailing theme of the book. The first part of the book is concerned with ideas of eloquence from its origins in the myth of Orpheus up to the early 17th century when the humanist emphasis on the importance of rhetoric came under challenge. The meanings of eloquence are explored in terms of its early association with magic, its vacillating relationship with philosophy and the theatre, its role in Renaissance humanism and concepts of selfhood and in its reflection in the Erasmian ideal of "copia". These themes provide a framework for the rest of the book. The second part of the book focuses on Marlowe and Jonson and the relationship between them. The author argues that both dramatists are centrally concerned with eloquence as an instrument of power and with its negative or impotent counterparts, and they also both explore the possibilities and limitations of eloquence in the expression of desire.
- ISBN10 071080654X
- ISBN13 9780710806543
- Publish Date 31 May 1992
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 8 February 1996
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Pearson Education Limited
- Imprint Prentice-Hall
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 288
- Language English