Style in the Renaissance Language and Ideology in Early Modern England

In a book which brings together language, text and context, Patricia Canningsynthesises models of contemporary stylistics with both critical and literary-historical theory. In doing so, the author maintains a specific and sustained stylistic focuson the religious, political and ideological issues that animated and defined Reformation England. Each chapter interrogates the dichotomous concept of'word' and 'image' by considering the ways in which writers of this period deal with these contentious subjects in their dramatic and poetic works.'Representation', Canning argues, 'is not just as a matter of semiotics but of ideology'. Whereas stylistics enjoys extensive application in the analysis of contemporary texts,it has, until now, been markedly under-used in the exploration of the historical literary genre. Addressing this shortcoming squarely and robustly, Canning'sbook is a showcase for the stylistic method. Among its many insights, this book shows how stylistics can enrich our understanding and critical interpretationof a particular literary genre in its ideological and historical context.

1. Introduction: ‘In the beginning was the Word' \ 2. Early Modern Understanding of the Monarch as a Double Body \ 3. Constructing Plausible Stories: ideology, conceptual integration theory and the politics of representation \ 4. Macbeth, Murder, and the Linguistics of Agency: "A deed without a name" \ 5. Metonymy in Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy and Webster's The White Devil: ‘Bit Part' Actors \ 6. Ekphrasis and The Word as Image in Early Modern Poetry: "Iconoclash" \ 7. Conclusion: the ‘value' of the word \ Bibliography \ Index