Literature and Society in Renaissance Crete [Paperback]

This 1991 book presents a comprehensive study of the literature of the time of the Cretan Renaissance.This 1991 book presents a comprehensive study of the literature of the time of the Cretan Renaissance and relates it to its historical, social and cultural context.This 1991 book presents a comprehensive study of the literature of the time of the Cretan Renaissance and relates it to its historical, social and cultural context.This book presents a comprehensive study of the literature of the Cretan Renaissance and relates it to its historical, social and cultural context. Crete, ruled by Venice from 1211 to 1669, responded to the stimulus of contact with the Renaissance in a body of narrative, personal and dramatic poetry, written in the Cretan dialect, and now regarded as an important influence on Modern Greek literature. The historical background is related to an examination of the structure of Veneto-Cretan society, while the central chapters concentrate on the literary texts including tragedy, comedy, pastoral and religious drama.Preface; Map: Crete and the Eastern Mediterranean; 1. The Cretan Renaissance David Holton; 2. The historical and social context Chryssa Maltezou; 3. Literary antecedents Arnold Van Gemert; 4. The pastoral mode Rosemary Bancroft-Marcus; 5. Comedy Alfred Vincent; 6. Tragedy Walter Puchner; 7. Interludes Rosemary Bancroft-Marcus; 8. Religious drama Wim Bakker; 9. Romance David Holton; 10. Literature and popular tradition Margaret Alexiou; Bibliographical guide; References; Index. As a historian, I found the book not only up to high scholarly standards, but quite interesting. ...I enjoyed it, profited from it, and recommend it. Renaissance Quarterly In conclusion this is a rich book, wide ranging, written in an accessible style, and of an extremely high academic standard. It is more about Cretan literature than about the society to which it is foregrounded, but it is likely to be of particular relevance not just to scholars of Greek litelC+