The Senses in Early Modern England, 1558-1660

Considering a wide range of early modern texts, performances and artworks, the essays in this collection demonstrate how attention to the senses illuminates the literature, art and culture of early modern England. The volume responds to burgeoning interest in the senses from both literary scholars and cultural historians, arguing that early modern ideas about the senses resonate significantly through texts, performances and artworks of the period, even as these art forms themselves provide invaluable suggestions about the place of the senses in early modern culture. Examining canonical and less familiar literary works alongside early modern texts ranging from medical treatises to conduct manuals via puritan polemic and popular ballads, the collection offers a new view of the senses in early modern England.This book offers dedicated essays on each of the five senses, relating works of art to particular cultural moments, as well as considering the senses collectively in various cultural contexts. It also pursues the sensory experiences that early modern subjects encountered through the act of engaging with texts, performances and artworks. Authors discussed at length include George Chapman, Sir John Davies, John Donne, Robert Herrick, Ben Jonson, William Shakespeare and Mary Wroth; art forms including drama, poetry, prose, music, dance, pomanders and painting are all the subject of at least one chapter. This book will appeal to scholars of early modern literature and culture, to those working in sensory studies, and to anyone interested in the art and life of early modern England.