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5. How far was there a cultural renaissance under Elizabeth?

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About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we consider the question, ‘How far was there a cultural renaissance under Elizabeth?’, focusing in particular on: (i) the narrow definition of “the” Renaissance as a social, cultural and artistic movement that originated in 14th-century Florence; (ii) the idea of “a” renaissance as a more general efflorescence of art and culture not necessarily connected to “the” Italian Renaissance; (iii) the development of visual art in Elizabethan England, particularly the miniature portraiture of Nicholas Hilliard (c. 1547-1619), and the extent to which this was influenced by the Italian Renaissance; (iv) the development of literature in the reign of Henry VIII, particularly the work of Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard; (v) the development of love poetry in Elizabethan England, including Philip Sidney’s Astrophel and Stella (1591), Shakespeare’s Sonnets (written in the 1590s but first published in 1609), and Marlowe’s Hero and Leander (1598); (vi) the development of drama in Elizabethan England, including the establishment of permanent, purpose-built theatres like ‘The Theatre’, and the improved quality of drama; and (vii) the importance of printing in bringing poetry and drama to a much wider group of people.

Course

In this course, Professor Susan Doran (University of Oxford) explores the idea of the reign of Elizabeth I as a ‘golden age’ through six key questions: (1) Why has Elizabeth's reign been seen as a Golden Age?; (2) Did Elizabeth's reign ‘settle’ religion in England?; (3) Did Elizabeth's reign see a new consensus politics?; (4) Was there new economic and imperial activity under Elizabeth?; (5) How far was there a cultural renaissance under Elizabeth?; and (6) Was there an educational revolution under Elizabeth?

Lecturer

Susan Doran is Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford. She has a substantial publishing record which reflects a particular interest in the religious and political history of the Tudors, especially Elizabeth I. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College and Director of Studies in History at Regent’s Park College.