Remapping Early Modern England: The Culture of Seventeenth-Century Politics

by Kevin Sharpe

It is now over twenty years since revisionist history began to transform our understanding of early modern England. In Remapping Early Modern England Kevin Sharpe proposes a new cultural turn in the study of the English Renaissance state. In contrast to the narrow definitions and debates of both revisionist and postrevisionist historians, he urges a broader interdisciplinary approach to the texts of authority, their performance and reception. This collection will help refigure our understanding of the history and politics of the period and the materials and methods of its study.

Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

Reviews

[Ex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strong collection of essays arguing for a broad interpretation of politics in Tudor and Stuart England, focusing on the need to integrate discussions of what are usually taken as cultural or literary histories (such as the history of chess, theatre, dance, horse riding, poetry)into our understanding of political culture in the 16th-17th century England.
Standout essays include: "A Commonwealth of Meaning," "Stuart Monarchy and Political Culture," and the essay on Sir Robert Cotton.