The book presents a critical examination of the established norms in English literature, advocating for a queer reading approach. It explores the principles that guide dissident interpretations and argues for forming intellectual connections outside traditional academic boundaries, making a significant impact on literary studies.
Unfinished Business in Cultural Materialism
The book offers a fresh perspective on cultural materialism, exploring its implications for understanding textuality, history, and culture. Written by a key figure in this critical movement, it aims to challenge and provoke thought within Renaissance Studies, encouraging scholars to rethink established concepts and methodologies.
Extending Professor Sinfield's cultural criticism through to the 1990s, this edition offers both an historical account of the political change in the period since 1945 and a political approach to the literary and other cultural production that has been, in part, the agent and vehicle of that change.
The book explores the impact of the rigid theology of the English Church during the 16th and 17th centuries on contemporary literature. It examines how the prevailing religious atmosphere influenced major writers, highlighting the tension between their works and the harsh realities of Calvinism. The analysis challenges the notion of the period being primarily 'Christian-Humanist,' revealing how this perspective overlooks the struggles faced by writers like John Donne and the acceptance found in the poetry of George Herbert.