Order and Disorder [Paperback]

Order and Disorder, the first epic poem by an Englishwoman, has never before been available in its entirety. The first five cantos were printed anonymously in 1679, but fifteen further cantos remained in manuscript, probably because they were so politically sensitive. David Norbrook, widely recognized as a leading authority on Renaissance literature and politics, has now attributed the work to the republican, Lucy Hutchison. In this prestigious scholarly volume, he provides a wealth of editorial matter, along with the first full version of Order and Disorder ever to be published.List of Illustrations.

Abbreviations and References.

Chronology.

Order and Disorder: The Poem and its Contexts:.

Lucy Hutchinson.

Reading the Bible.

Biblical Verse.

The Divine Narrative.

Politics and Religion.

Eve's Version? Genesis, Women and the Woman Writer.

Note on the Text and Editing.

Acknowledgements.

Order and Disorder.

Appendix: 'Elegies', no. 3.

Further Reading.

Bibliography.

This eagerly awaited volume largely meets the high expectations readers have of Norbrook. Norbrook's edition belongs in the library of all colleges that grant a degree in English - not only because new scholarly topics include comparisons of Hutchinson and John Milton but because Hutchinson's meditations reveal a writer of considerable gifts. For that revelation readers are all deeply in Norbrook's debt. Choice <!--end-->

Norbrook's presentation of Order and Disorder is exemplary: finely judged, meticulous, and alert to textual resonance. Notes and Queries

David Norbrook is Professor of EnglishlÃ-