Readers, Audiences and Coteries in Early Modern England

This book draws on and contributes to the wealth of recent research in the history of the book and the history of reading. All six case studies contained here are linked by the general theme of how a particular text, or type of text, may have been appropriated by an individual, a group of readers, or the author themselves. The contributors consider how the physical form of the text impacts on its readership, concluding that early modern texts do not hold a fixed meaning but are instead interpreted and appropriated in a different manner by each individual reader. Through discussions of a range of different publications, the contributors to this volume describe a period that was both vibrant and inventive in its literary output. The extension of literacy and the increased access to written material made possible by the printing press raised concerns of legitimacy and reputation, an aspect explored here in relation to the publication of plays, as well as concerns over the efficacy and role of censorship within the literary marketplace. This volume seeks to add a further contribution to the increasing interdisciplinary dialogue over the history of the book, the history of reading and the networks of exchange involved in the 'textual culture' of early modern England. Concerned with reading practices throughout the period, the contributors come from the fields of both English and history and provide a variety of new interpretations on the presentation of texts, the aims of their authors, and the ways in which their audiences received them. The range of literary and historical material covered within the chapters of this volume represents a valuable reinforcement of the need for interdisciplinary study through a demonstration of the benefits of collaboration between literary and historical scholars.