ABOUT THIS BOOK

A critical biography of one of the most celebrated prose stylists in early modern English.

This book provides an overview of the life and work of the scandalous Renaissance writer Thomas Nashe (1567–c.1600), whose writings led to the closure of theaters and widespread book bans. Famous for his scurrilous novel, The Unfortunate Traveller (1594), Nashe also played a central role in early English theater, collaborating with Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare. Through religious controversies, pornographic poetry, and the bubonic plague, Andrew Hadfield traces the uproarious history of this celebrated English writer.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Andrew Hadfield is professor of English at the University of Sussex. He is the author of many books, including Lying in Early Modern English Literature and Culture. He is a general editor of the complete works of Thomas Nashe and a regular reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement.

REVIEWS

"Thomas Nashe was a bright, fierce light in Elizabethan literature, whose work was banned by the church authorities. From secretly circulated pornography to the herrings of East Anglia, and from Puritan propaganda to the first English novel, Nashe is always productive and provocative. Andrew Hadfield’s lucid new life opens up these funny, savage, deeply topical works for a new readership, emphasizing their range, verve, and specificity. Hadfield’s skill is in contextualizing without overshadowing the literary brio of the writing, and in recovering the Nashe whom all his contemporaries—including Shakespeare—wanted to emulate."

— Emma Smith, Hertford College, Oxford (UK)

“A clear, accessible summary of all the surviving works and places them in relation to the various worlds that Nashe inhabited. Such overviews require considerable knowledge and judgement, which Hadfield possesses as one of the general editors of the forthcoming Oxford Complete Works edition.”

— Times Literary Supplement

"Studies of Nashe tend to be the preserve of specialists, and Hadfield’s book stands out by offering a general introduction to this challenging writer. . . . Highly recommended."

— Choice

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Note on the text

Introduction: Nashe’s Life, Interests and Circle

1. Religion

2. Early Style

3. The Theatre

4. Gabriel Harvey

5. Fiction

6. Late Writing, Mature Style

Epilogue

Chronology

List of Abbreviations

References

Bibliographical Essay

Acknowledgements

Photo Acknowledgements

Index

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