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Poly-Olbion: New Perspectives
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Edited by:
Andrew McRae
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With contributions by:
Andrew McRae
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2020
About this book
First collection devoted to the Poly-Olbion, bringing out in particular its concerns with nature and the environment.
Poly-Olbion (1612-1622), the collaborative work of the poet Michael Drayton, the legal scholar John Selden, and the engraver William Hole, ranks among the most remarkable literary productions of early modern England, and arguably among the most important. An ambitious and idiosyncratic survey of the history, topography, and ecology of England and Wales - ranging in its preoccupations from the supernatural conception of Merlin to the curious habits of beavers, and from celebrations of martial glory to laments over the diminishment of woodlands - the book seems determined to pack all of national and natural history between its covers. In the course of thirty songs, Drayton's Muse traverses a varying landscape in which personified rivers, hills, and forests sing of past glories and disasters, pursuing local and regional rivalries whilst propounding a heterogeneous vision of Britain. However, perhaps because of its very uniqueness, it has received relatively little critical attention.
This is the first ever volume of essays on Poly-Olbion, and a reflection of the work's increasing prominence in scholarship on the literature and culture of early modern England: the poem has long been central to critical studies of early modern nationhood and nationalism, but in the last decade it has also assumed a central place in discussions of pre-modern approaches to ecological sustainability and environmental degradation. The contributors here address questions about the form and purpose of Poly-Olbion, as well as engaging with these dominant critical debates, reflecting the extent to which the preoccupations of Drayton and his collaborators have become our own.
Poly-Olbion (1612-1622), the collaborative work of the poet Michael Drayton, the legal scholar John Selden, and the engraver William Hole, ranks among the most remarkable literary productions of early modern England, and arguably among the most important. An ambitious and idiosyncratic survey of the history, topography, and ecology of England and Wales - ranging in its preoccupations from the supernatural conception of Merlin to the curious habits of beavers, and from celebrations of martial glory to laments over the diminishment of woodlands - the book seems determined to pack all of national and natural history between its covers. In the course of thirty songs, Drayton's Muse traverses a varying landscape in which personified rivers, hills, and forests sing of past glories and disasters, pursuing local and regional rivalries whilst propounding a heterogeneous vision of Britain. However, perhaps because of its very uniqueness, it has received relatively little critical attention.
This is the first ever volume of essays on Poly-Olbion, and a reflection of the work's increasing prominence in scholarship on the literature and culture of early modern England: the poem has long been central to critical studies of early modern nationhood and nationalism, but in the last decade it has also assumed a central place in discussions of pre-modern approaches to ecological sustainability and environmental degradation. The contributors here address questions about the form and purpose of Poly-Olbion, as well as engaging with these dominant critical debates, reflecting the extent to which the preoccupations of Drayton and his collaborators have become our own.
Author / Editor information
Contributor: Andrew McRae
ANDREW MCRAE is Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Exeter.
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Contributor: Philip Schwyzer
PHILIP SCHWYZER is Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Exeter.
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Contributor: Andrew McRae
ANDREW MCRAE is Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Exeter.
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Contributor: Philip Schwyzer
PHILIP SCHWYZER is Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Exeter.
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Contributor: Andrew Hadfield
ANDREW HADFIELD is Professor of English at the University of Sussex
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Contributor: Sara Trevisan
SARA TREVISAN studied at the University of Padua. After working as a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in Renaissance Studies in Britain and the US, she is now a full-time rare books andmanuscripts specialist in the antiquarian book trade and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Warwick.
Topics
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Philip Schwyzer and Andrew McRae Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
1 |
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PART I: THE PROJECT OF POLY-OLBION
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Angus Vine Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
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Sjoerd Levelt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
39 |
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PART II: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
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Andrew McRae Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
69 |
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Todd Andrew Borlik Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
89 |
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Andrew Hadfield Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
112 |
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Shannon Garner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
132 |
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Bernhard Klein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
145 |
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PART III: THE BRITISH PAST IN DRAYTON’S SONGS AND SELDEN’S ILLUSTRATIONS
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Daniel Cattell Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
169 |
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Sara Trevisan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
188 |
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Philip Schwyzer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed |
211 |
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231 |
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246 |
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
February 28, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781787448919
Original publisher:
D.S.Brewer
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9781787448919
Keywords for this book
Poly-Olbion; New Perspectives; Michael Drayton; John Selden; William Hole; early modern England; history; topography; ecology; supernatural conception; Merlin; woodlands; national history; natural history; British literature; British culture; ecological sustainability; environmental degradation; British landscapes
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
