Responding to the broadening of the canon in recent years, this accessible anthology makes available the most important poetry and prose from the period between the accession of Henry VIII in 1509 and the English Revolution of 1640. Arranged chronologically, generous selections of familiar Renaissance figures, such as More, Wyatt, Tyndale, Spenser, Sidney, Shakespeare, Bacon, and Donne, are complemented by a strong emphasis on women writers, including Queen Elizabeth, Aemilia Lanyer, Rachel Speght, Mary Sidney, Martha Moulsworth, Lady Mary Wroth, and Elizabeth Cary. A range of prose works, including biblical translations, illustrates the development of English prose style over the period. The volume also offers a copious selection of carols, ballads, songs, and hymns. Helpful introductions and annotations to the newly-edited texts reflect recent developments in cultural and critical theory as well as the current state of Renaissance scholarship. The anthology also contains cross-references to material available on the Internet.

Michael Payne is John P. Crozer Professor of English at Bucknell University. He is the editor of A Dictionary of Cultural and Critical Theory (Blackwell, 1996) and the author of Reading Theory (Blackwell, 1993) and Reading Knowledge (Blackwell, 1997).

John Hunter is Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Professor of Comparative Humanities at Bucknell University. His previous publications include essays on Francis Bacon and on early modern drama.