Sixteenth Century

The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). It is regarded by historians as the century in which the rise of the West occurred.

Romeo and Juliet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Prince
The Taming of the Shrew
Utopia
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)
Much Ado About Nothing
Tamburlaine (Dover Thrift Editions)
Hamnet
The City of Tears (The Joubert Family Chronicles, #2)
The Complete Poems and Translations (Penguin Classics)
Dr. Faustus
Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1)
The Jew of Malta
Henry IV, Part Two
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. TolkienHamlet by William Shakespeare
Best Books From Before 1950
542 books — 135 voters
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki ShikibuIf Not, Winter by SapphoThe Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de PizanOroonoko by Aphra BehnThe Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
Early Female Fiction Writers
89 books — 30 voters

Sharman Apt Russell
Cabeza de Vaca had wrapped her in his arms and in his language, whispering about a life she did not understand although understanding seemed to form just beyond the sea and sand, waiting there for her to grow older. Even when the story confused her, she had caught words or phrases, ideas like fish, bold and surprising, tasting of her father’s mind. She had learned quickly to nod and speak because he needed her to do this, because his need surrounded her like the blue sky. She was his bastard, an ...more
Sharman Apt Russell, Teresa of the New World

John Shearman
If we say that a person has style we may wish to imply that he is unnatural, affected, self-conscious or ostentatious. In the sixteenth century 'maniera' was generally a desirable attribute of a work of art, but this positive aspect was accompanied by the realization of the negative one that correspond to what we now call, derogatively, stylization. ...more
John Shearman, Mannerism

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