Reconceiving the Renaissance Book

The application of theory to early modern texts is absolutely central to the way in which they are read today but for students trying to get to grips with both the Renaissance and theory at university, the task is a daunting one. This is a good reader for undergraduates that curates a range of secondary literature generously introduced and annotated by the editors.

Organised around a set of key ideas e.g. textuality, identity, appropriation, this brings together a selection of critical articles, sometimes abbreviated, that approach each topic from different angles. The focus is thus on opening up the topics, foregrounding the multiple ways in which we can engage with them, rather than pushing a single, orthodox way of thinking.

The caveat is that this was published in 2005 and so, inevitably, maps its own moment, and the field has continued to develop in the 11 years since then. All the same, this is a good introduction for students needing to understand the breadth of Renaissance studies in the 21st century.