The Oxford History of Classical Reception in English Literature

The Oxford History of Classical Reception (OHCREL) is designed to offer a comprehensive investigation of the numerous and diverse ways in which literary texts of the classical world have stimulated responses and refashioning by English writers. Covering the full range of English literature from the early Middle Ages to the present day, OHCREL both synthesizes existing scholarship and presents cutting-edge new research, employing an international team ofexpert contributors for each of the five volumes.OHCREL endeavours to interrogate, rather than inertly reiterate, conventional assumptions about literary 'periods', the processes ofcanon-formation, and the relations between literary and non-literary discourse. It conceives of 'reception' as a complex process of dialogic exchange and, rather than offering large cultural generalizations, it engages in close critical analysis of literary texts. It explores in detail the ways in which English writers' engagement with classical literature casts as much light on the classical originals as it does on the English writers' own cultural context.This secondvolume covers the years 1558-1660, and explores the reception of the ancient genres and authors in English Renaissance literature, engaging with the major, and many of the minor, writers of the period,including Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spenser, and Jonson. Separate chapters examine the Renaissance institutions and contexts which shape the reception of antiquity, and an annotated bibliography provides substantial material for further reading.

“Review from previous edition This book bursts with a wealth of case studies and microhistories that will no doubt assist witchcraft scholars ... Overall, this is a valuable and impressive contribution to current scholarship.”

Oma Alyagon Darr, Renaissance Quarterly
In sum, the endeavour amounts to a detailed, up-to-date, and authoritative compendium of learning and insight on a topic that defines the very soul of Renaissance literature. William J. Kennedy, Modern Philology

Patrick Cheney is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Pennsylvania State University. He has been a Visiting Research Fellow at Merton College, University of Oxford, and a recipient of the Faculty Scholar Medal at Pennsylvania State University for research in the humanities. He is General Editor of the Oxford History of Poetry in English, and a Visiting Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. His publications have focused onthe reception of classical ideas of authorship. Philip Hardie is a Senior Research Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and Honorary Professor of Latin at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of theBritish Academy and was Corpus Christi Professor of the Latin Language and Literature at the University of Oxford (2002-6). He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Thessaloniki, and was the recipient of the Premio Internazionale Virgilio (Mantova) in 2012. He has published extensively both on ancient Latin literature and on its reception.

The Oxford History of Classical Reception (OHCREL) is designed to offer a comprehensive investigation of the numerous and diverse ways in which literary texts of the classical world have stimulated responses and refashioning by English writers. Covering the full range of English literature from the early Middle Ages to the present day, OHCREL both synthesizes existing scholarship and presents cutting-edge new research, employing an international team ofexpert contributors for each of the five volumes.OHCREL endeavours to interrogate, rather than inertly reiterate, conventional assumptions about literary 'periods', the processes of canon-formation, and the relations between literary and non-literary discourse. It conceives of 'reception' as a complex process of dialogic exchange and, rather than offering large cultural generalizations, it engages in close critical analysis of literary texts. It explores in detail the ways in which English writers' engagement with classicalliterature casts as much light on the classical originals as it does on the English writers' own cultural context.This second volume covers the years 1558-1660, and explores the reception of the ancient genres and authors in English Renaissance literature, engaging with the major, and many of the minor, writers of the period, including Shakespeare, Marlowe, Spenser, and Jonson. Separate chapters examine the Renaissance institutions and contexts which shape the reception of antiquity, and an annotated bibliography provides substantial material for further reading.

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