Early modern literature

Our research in early modern literature covers the full range of literary and cultural forms, with particular emphases on the poetry and prose of the seventeenth century, including the writings of John Donne, John Milton and Aphra Behn.

We have taken a lead in a number of major editing projects, including editions of Donne’s sermons and Behn’s poetry, and are actively engaged in wider debates around editorial practice and the materiality of the text. Other major strands in our research include the study of the religious cultures of early modern England, including perceptions of paganism, wider work on women’s writing in the period, and studies of the later reception of medieval and early modern writers including Chaucer, Shakespeare and Jonson.

Researchers

Hugh Adlington - Early modern print and manuscript culture

Louise Curran - Material forms and textual meanings

David Griffith - Textual and visual cultures

Tom Lockwood - Relationships between Renaissance writers and their later readers

Sebastian Mitchell - Romantic literature and culture

Valerie Rumbold - Early eighteenth century poetry and prose

Wendy Scase - Textual cultures and early printing

Emily Wingfield - Manuscript studies and book history

Gillian Wright - Early modern women's writing

Major publications

Projects

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OUR RESEARCHERS TALK ABOUT THEIR WORK:

Early Modern English Literature - Hugh Adlington