Hidden Designs (Routledge Revivals)

This 1986 work challenges existing perspectives on the English literary Renaissance, advocating for a more independent approach to criticism. Hidden Designs (Routledge Revivals) critiques literary enterprise motivations.

This 1986 study presents a thought-provoking contribution to the ongoing critical discourse surrounding the English literary Renaissance. While it is influenced by ‘new historicism’ and post-structuralism, Hidden Designs (Routledge Revivals) advocates for criticism to stand on its own merits rather than being solely defined by theoretical frameworks. The author challenges the increasing professionalization of literary studies, emphasizing the importance of criticism's broader communal roles.

In Hidden Designs (Routledge Revivals), major Renaissance authors and their contemporary critics are examined with a critical lens. The author, Crewe, scrutinizes the elements of ‘criminality’ that exist within the powerful interests—be they personal, institutional, political, or cultural—that the literary enterprise serves or channels. This approach invites readers to rethink the motivations behind literary production and criticism.

Crewe’s revisionary readings of influential figures such as Sidney, Spenser, Puttenham, and Shakespeare are interwoven with a continuous commentary on the history and theoretical assertions of Renaissance criticism. The book not only reshapes our understanding of these authors but also encourages a more nuanced appreciation of the literary landscape they inhabited. Through its critical exploration, Hidden Designs (Routledge Revivals) ultimately seeks to redefine the role of criticism in the study of literature.