Psalm Culture and Early Modern English Literature [Hardcover]

This book examines the powerful influence of the biblical Psalms on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature.Psalm Culture and Early Modern English Literature examines the influence of the biblical Psalms on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature. It explores the imaginative, beautiful, ingenious and sometimes ludicrous and improbable ways in which the Psalms were 'translated' from ancient Israel to Renaissance and Reformation England. The book focuses on literature from major writers like Shakespeare and Milton to less prominent ones like George Gascoigne, Mary Sidney Herbert, and George Wither, but it also explores the adaptations of the Psalms in musical settings, emblems, works of theology and political polemic.Psalm Culture and Early Modern English Literature examines the influence of the biblical Psalms on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature. It explores the imaginative, beautiful, ingenious and sometimes ludicrous and improbable ways in which the Psalms were 'translated' from ancient Israel to Renaissance and Reformation England. The book focuses on literature from major writers like Shakespeare and Milton to less prominent ones like George Gascoigne, Mary Sidney Herbert, and George Wither, but it also explores the adaptations of the Psalms in musical settings, emblems, works of theology and political polemic.Examining the influence of the biblical Psalms on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century English literature, this study explores the imaginative, beautiful and ingenious as well as sometimes ludicrous and improbable ways in which the Psalms were 'translated'. Spanning ancient Israel to Renaissance and Reformation England, the book focuses on literature of major writers that ranges from Shakespeare and Milton to less prominent ones: George Gascoigne, Mary Sidney Herbert, and George Wither.List of figures; Acknowledgements; Note on the text; Introduction; Part I. English Metrical Psalmody; 1. 'Very mete to be used lãA