Thursday, May 24, 2012

Help! Good General History of Early Modern England?

I'm teaching a senior seminar on early modern English lit, and I think my students would find it incredibly useful to have a good history book.

I'm a drama person, so a focus as narrow as 1570-1642 would be fine.  A bit broader would be fine, too.  I'm thinking of something along the lines of Wrightson's English Society or Sommerville's Politics and Ideology.  Both of those are a bit old now, and I'm sure there's something better out there to introduce my students to the period in England.

Thanks!

4 comments:

  1. I've found Bucholz & Key's "Early Modern England, 1485-1714: A Narrative History" to be pretty darned useful. Students enjoy reading it better than Lockyer. So I use that for my 2nd year survey and as a recommended book for seniors who come to my seminar without the background.

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  2. I was going to say Bucholz & Key. Besides, I taught Newton Key when I was a new Ph.D. :)

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  3. Thank you both! I'll order it up!

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  4. You could also try Peter Herman's new book intended for BritLit professors: *A Short History of Early Modern England: British Literature in Context*. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon!

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