Literature and Nature in the English Renaissance

This anthology offers an insightful examination of ecological themes in Renaissance literature, highlighting the interplay between nature and society in Literature and Nature in the English Renaissance.

This anthology presents a comprehensive exploration of English Renaissance texts that delve into themes of nature and natural history. It features primary sources from various societal sectors, covering a wide array of subjects. The editorial apparatus includes glossaries, chronologies, and guides for further reading, making it an invaluable resource. With over two hundred nature-themed texts encompassing literature, science, and history, Literature and Nature in the English Renaissance serves as an accessible field guide to the environmental context of Renaissance England, highlighting a nation navigating its pastoral roots while facing an industrial future.

The selected primary sources are modernized and prefaced with introductions, offering an encyclopedic look at diverse topics, such as astrology, zoology, bear-baiting, bee-keeping, coal-mining, tree-planting, fen-draining, and sheep-whispering. The anthology features well-known figures like Spenser, Shakespeare, Jonson, and Marvell, alongside voices from farmers, herbalists, shepherds, hunters, foresters, philosophers, sailors, and even personified animals and plants. This rich tapestry of perspectives provides a multifaceted view of the environment during this transformative period.

Lavishly illustrated, Literature and Nature in the English Renaissance includes a clear introduction that engages with significant debates in Renaissance ecocriticism, a reflective essay on ecocritical editing, a bibliography for further study, and a timeline mapping environmental history and legislation, all based on extensive archival research. This anthology is an essential guide for understanding the ecological discourse of Shakespeare's England and serves as a valuable reference for those interested in Renaissance ecocriticism.