Abstract
This chapter examines traces of Petrarchism in English poets Edmund Spenser and Sir Philip Sydney. It argues that the engagements of both poets with Petrarchism are more serious, and indeed more political, than traditional readings have implied. It explains that these two poets share Petrarch's condemnation of desire but do not display their contemptus mundi. It also discusses Spenser's recognition of the Petrarch's authority as a model for creating a sense of nationhood in thrall to a monarch and his use of this model to create a counter-national poetry whose authority is independent of political power.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Petrarch in Britain |
| Subtitle of host publication | Interpreters, Imitators and Translators over 700 Years |
| Editors | Martin L. McLaughlin, Peter Hainsworth, Letizia Panizza |
| Place of Publication | Oxford, UK |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Pages | 243-257 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780191734649 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780197264133 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2007 |
Publication series
| Name | Proceedings of the British Academy |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Volume | 146 |
| ISSN (Print) | 0068-1202 |
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Cite this
Pugh, S. (2007). Sidney, Spenser and Political Petrarchism. In M. L. McLaughlin, Peter Hainsworth, & Letizia Panizza (Eds.), Petrarch in Britain: Interpreters, Imitators and Translators over 700 Years (pp. 243-257). (Proceedings of the British Academy; Vol. 146). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.5871/bacad/9780197264133.001.0001