Humanism and Good Books in Sixteenth-Century England - A Study of Humanism and Morality Books

Jul 31, 2026

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This book explores how humanism in sixteenth-century England is carried and shaped through “good books,” connecting reading practices with moral and educational aims. It emphasizes the relationship between humanist thought and literary culture, including how moral instruction operates within genre forms such as morality plays. The work also frames humanist “moral fusion” as an interpretive lens for understanding literature from the medieval through the Renaissance, linking historical change to pedagogy and public value.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages323

Reading Time13 h 34 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction: Reading Is Good for You

1. The New, the Medieval, and the Renaissance

2. Humanism and the Morality Play

3. Humanist Moral Fusion: Tere

[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Humanism and Good Books in Sixteenth-Century England [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Humanism and Good Books in Sixteenth-Century England KATHERINE C . LITTLE [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries © Katherine C. Little 2023 The moral rights of the author have been asserted All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Control Number: 2022947755 ISBN 978–0–19–288319–3 DOI: 10. 1093/oso/9780192883193 .001.0001 Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Acknowledgments The many years I spent writing this book coincided with my daughters’elementary school education and also with the most recent crisis of the humanities, that is, the shrinking of the academic discipline of English in terms of enrollment and faculty positions. Both contexts provided me with opportunities to discuss the value of books with different kinds of people, including teachers, fellow-parents, fellow-academics, and my many students. I have learned a great deal from all of these conversations, and Iam immensely grateful for them. Writing these acknowledgments near the end of 2022, almost three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, makes me realize just how lucky I was to be able to attend conferences and chat with people in person especially at the beginning of this project. I thank audiences at the Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, Michigan (2013, 2014, 2017); at the Sixth International Piers Plowman Society Conference in Seattle (2015); and atthe New Chaucer Society Conferences in London (2016) and in Toronto (2018) for asking questions and making comments that opened up new ways of seeing. Both before and during the pandemic, I have been fortunate in having friends who are always willing to offer feedback and support. For their kindness and generosity, both in general and in the particular act of reading drafts and providing comments on portions of the book, I thank Candace Barrington, Lisa Lampert-Weissig, and Eva von Contzen. Our friendship and collaboration on our journal, New Chaucer Studies: Pedagogy & Profession, have been truly sustaining. I am also grateful to Jennifer Bosson for countless conversations about the ideas in this book and the challenges of academic life more generally as well as for being a great friend. Thanks to Teresa Toulouse for lovely lunches and thought-provoking discussions that helped orient me as I began this book. The University of Colorado Boulder has provided welcome financial support for this project in a variety of ways. I was able to hire summer research assistants to compile resources on

FAQs

What topic does the book focus on?

The book examines humanism in sixteenth-century England and how it is expressed through “good books” and reading practices for moral and educational purposes.

How does the table of contents structure the discussion?

It begins with an introduction on reading’s value, then moves through historical phases and specific literary contexts, including humanism and morality plays.

What is the role of morality plays in the argument?

Morality plays are presented as a key site where humanist ideas and moral instruction intersect, showing how literature can teach ethical thinking.

Jul 31, 2026

Upload by Violet