Close Readers: Humanism and Sodomy in Early Modern England

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Humanism, in both its rhetoric and practice, attempted to transform the relationships between men that constituted the fabric of early modern society. So argues Alan Stewart in this ground-breaking investigation into the impact of humanism in sixteenth-century England. Here the author shows that by valorizing textual skills over martial prowess, hu

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"Employing a critically powerful methodology, Alan Stewart examines a field of authors and texts that, within the history of sexuality, is largely terra incognita. In Close Readers, he argues forcefully for a notion of the closet as a politicized 'transactive space,' where negotiations take place that are every bit as political as those that occur in public."Bruce R. Smith, Georgetown University
"An intelligent discussion that uncovers some surprising ways in which humanism and sodomytwo seemingly distinct social discoursesexisted in supplemental exchange and tension. Writing in a vivid style, Alan Stewart adds a bulk of insights to the growing debates about the history of sexuality. His book will be invaluable to literary scholars, historians, gay and lesbian theorists, and readers generally interested in the social and textual deployment of eroticism in the early modern period."Gregory W. Bredbeck, University of California, Riverside