This project aimed to redress the scholarly neglect of mid-Tudor writing, a period which saw the Reformation, the consolidation of the Tudor state, and the rise of English as a national language. The literature of this period is also remarkable for its experimentation with form and genre. The project team compiled a searchable, on-line catalogue of literary works, 1519-1579, including details of titles, authors, printers, booksellers, dedicatees, information about content, genres, sources, paratext and literary coteries, as well as short essays on the context for each work.
This on-line catalogue is intended to be a `first port of call´ for scholars and students interested in the period, pointing them to texts relevant to their particular area of research. Several works missing from the English Short Title Catalogue have been identified, and the project also highlighted the extent to which literary activity permeated the regions beyond London (despite the centrality of the capital to the English print-trade).
The project also produced a companion of essays, The Oxford Handbook of Tudor Literature, 1485-1603, published by Oxford University Press (2009). Comprising 44 chapters written by experts from the UK, Europe and North America, this volume is designed to enhance appreciation and understanding of mid-Tudor writing, placing it in its social, cultural, intellectual, literary and historical contexts.
Website
Duration: April 2005 – April 2008
Project Team
- Dr Cathy Shrank (Principal Investigator – University of Sheffield)
- Prof. Mike Pincombe (Newcastle University)
- Dr Fred Schurink (Newcastle University)
- Dr Alan Bryson (Research Associate – University of Sheffield)
- Ed MacKenzie (Developer – The Digital Humanities Institute)
- Katherine Rogers (Developer – The Digital Humanities Institute)