Things of Darkness: Economies of Race and Gender in Early Modern England

by Kim F. Hall

The "Ethiope," the "tawny Tartar," the "woman blackamoore," and "knotty Africanisms"—allusions to blackness abound in Renaissance texts. Kim F. Hall's eagerly awaited book is the first to view these evocations of blackness in the contexts of sexual politics, imperialism, and slavery in early modern England. Her work reveals the vital link between England's expansion into realms of difference and otherness—through exploration and colonialism-and the highly charged ideas of race and gender which emerged. How, Hall asks, did new connections between race and gender figure in Renaissance ideas about the proper roles of men and women? What effect did real racial and cultural difference have on the literary portrayal of blackness? And how did the interrelationship of tropes of race and gender contribute to a modern conception of individual identity? Hall mines a wealth of sources for answers to these travel literature from Sir John Mandeville's Travels to Leo Africanus's History and Description of Africa ; lyric poetry and plays, from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra and The Tempest to Ben Jonson's Masque of Blackness ; works by Emilia Lanyer, Philip Sidney, John Webster, and Lady Mary Wroth; and the visual and decorative arts. Concentrating on the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Hall shows how race, sexuality, economics, and nationalism contributed to the formation of a modern (white, male) identity in English culture. The volume includes a useful appendix of not readily accessible Renaissance poems on blackness.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Literary Criticism, Shakespeare

312 pages, Paperback

First published December 14, 1995

Reviews

[Ella Louise Schalski]

Like most of the books I’ve read this month (and last month), Hall’s Things of Darkness is for my Ph.D. exams that are, unfortunately, right around the corner (literally counting down the weeks until I can read for fun more consistently again!).

Even if this isn’t technically “fun” reading, it’s always fun to read Hall’s book. It’s my second? third? time doing so (really don’t know why I didn’t log the other times), but I feel like I learn just as much from it now as I did when I first picked it up. I think it’s safe to say that this book made me adjust my course of study (from early modern women writers, generally, to early modern women writers and race, specifically), and for that, I’ll be forever indebted to Hall.

[Sarah Snee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wouldn’t have passed my PhD exams without this book. Such a staple for anyone claiming themselves to be a scholar of early modernity, and remains especially chilling that a book 25 years old still sustains itself as literarily, culturally, and socially pressing. I’ve learned so much foundational knowledge on the production of race & gender in such a chaotic time when England stretched its borders and the slave trade began in full force. Should be required reading for all, though especially anyone working in Shakespeare studies, despite this book not being “about” Shakespeare at all.

[Katheryn Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't want to downplay the ground-breaking work this book achieved, and the fact that I found much of it familiar reading is testament to that, but as someone who is reasonably well-versed in Shakespearean race studies, I found Things of Darkness an incredibly dull read. I'm glad to have finally crossed this one off my to-read list, and there were certain moments of analysis that I enjoyed very much, but overall I found it a slog.

[Celine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is crucial for anyone pursuing a degree in Early Modern English Literature, regardless of their focus on race and gender. A must-read!

[Emma-Louise Ekpo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life, shifted my understanding of race, gender, class and beauty during the renaissance.

A fascinating book on the construction of race during the early modern period.
My favourite chapter discusses and analyses the black figure in portraiture and jewellery.

I understand why this is seen as a critical text in early modern race studies.

I would have liked to have seen Hall’s in depth analysis on the selected poems at the end of the book but I do understand this is out of the scope of the text.