Language and Politics in the Sixteenth-Century History Play examines a key preoccupation of historical drama in the period 1538-1600: the threat presented by uncivil language. "Unlicensed" speech informs the presentation of political debate in Tudor history plays and it is also the subject of their most daring political speculations. By analysing plays by John Bale, Thomas Norton, Thomas Sackville, and Robert Greene, as well as Shakespeare, this study also argues for a more inclusive approach to the genre.

Shakespeare's history plays have always been pivotal to our understanding of his works. This collection renews attention to these crucial plays by exploring official and unofficial versions of the past, histories and counter-histories in the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. By exploring the diversity of Shakespeare's engagement with history in all its forms, these contributors open up a range of new interpretive possibilities for understanding the way history 'plays' with the past.

Now in its second edtion, this established guide for beginning students of literature has been updated to reflect the latest in teaching and research. Students will discover the full range of literary forms, styles, theories and critical strategies which are essential to the study of literature. Carefully selected examples demonstrate exactly how a different strategies for reading texts can be put to work and applied by students in their own work. All texts discussed are conveniently available in readily available works, the majority of which are also in the Norton Anthology of English...

A collection of 12 essays which examine a range of illicit or subversive discourses in European societies from the 16th century to the present. The contributors look at a variety of modes of popular expression, including anonymous speech, slander and defamation, and political literature.