Author Description
Manuscript Matters Illuminates Responses To Some Of John Donne's Most Elusive Texts By His Contemporary Audiences. Since Examples Of Seventeenth-century Literary Criticism Prove Somewhat Rare And Frequently Ambiguous, This Book Emphasizes A Critical Framework Rarely Used For Exhibiting Early Readers' Exegeses Of Literary Texts: The Complete Manuscripts Containing Them. Many Literary Manuscripts That Include Poems By Donne And His Contemporaries Were Compiled During Their Lifetimes, Often By Members Of Their Circles. For This Reason, And Because Various Early Modern Poems And Prose Works Satirize Topical Events And Prominent Figures In Highly Coded Language, Attempting To Understand Early Literary Interpretations Proves Challenging But Highly Valuable. Compilers, Scribes, Owners, And Other Readers–men And Women Who Shared In Donne's Political, Religious, And Social Contexts–offer Clues To Their Literary Responses Within A Range Of Features Related To The Construction And Subsequent Use Of The Manuscripts. This Study's Findings Call Us To Investigate More Extensively And Systematically How Certain Early Manuscripts Were Constructed Through Analysis Of Such Features As Scripts, Titles, Sequence Of Contents, Ascriptions, And Variant Diction. While Such Studies Can Throw Light On Many Early Modern Texts, Exploring Artefacts Containing Donne's Works Proves Particularly Useful Because More Of His Poetry Circulated In Manuscript Than Did That Of Any Other Early Modern Poet. Manuscript Matters Engages Donne's Satiric, Lyric, And Religious Poetry, As Well As His Prose Paradoxes And Problems. Analysing His Texts Within Their Manuscript Contexts Enables Modern Readers To Interpret Donne's Poetry And Prose Through An Early Modern Lens.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
How can the physical construction and compilation of seventeenth-century manuscripts provide insight into the contemporary reception of John Donne's elusive literary works? Lara M. Crowley, an expert in early modern literature, argues that the manuscripts themselves serve as critical evidence of how early readers interpreted complex texts. By examining the physical features of these documents—such as scribal choices, sequence, and marginalia—Crowley establishes a methodology for reconstructing the intellectual environment of Donne's original audience. This study shifts the focus from purely textual analysis to the material culture of early modern reading practices.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of seventeenth-century manuscript compilation practices.
- Methodologies for interpreting scribal habits, titles, and variant diction.
- Examination of John Donne's satiric, lyric, and religious poetry alongside his prose paradoxes.
- Case studies of manuscripts compiled by Donne's contemporaries and social circles.
Scope Limits
- The study is primarily limited to manuscripts containing works by John Donne and his immediate contemporaries.
- It does not provide a comprehensive history of all early modern printing or publishing practices.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in the field of early modern studies recognize this work as a significant contribution to the material history of literature. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for researchers and students of seventeenth-century textual criticism.
Page Count:
288
Publication Date:
2018-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0192554956
ISBN-13:
9780192554956
Poetry
John Donne
Early Modern
Academic
Book History
Literary Criticism