Recent theoretical approaches to the Renaissance have emphasised the tension between the discourse of authority and its potential subversion, especially through the 'counter-voices' of supposedly marginalised groups, such as women. This subject will examine a selection of poems, plays and prose works, paying particular attention to the struggles of counter voices to be heard.This subject will provide you with the training necessary to understand difficult forms of writing, principally plays and poems, from a period that often seems quite alien. The writing will always be set in context: usually either within a historical or a generic context. Accordingly, lectures will cover topics such as: the early modern theatre, its structure and its social function; early modern attitudes towards women; early modern representations of sexuality; early modern social structuring; especially in relation to issues of 'class' or social position. As well as film screenings, the second hour of m

Subject rules

Readings