Description
Book SynopsisThe narrative re-tellings of the life, reign, and death of the English King Edward II (reigned 13071327) present a unique opportunity for scholars of sexuality in the early modern era. This is because the works of authors like Christopher Marlowe, Michael Drayton, Sir Francis Hubert, Elizabeth Cary, and Richard Niccols were all inspired by the public, cultural memory fashioned from Edward's same-sex love affair with Piers Gaveston. As such, each of them presents a particular representation of and a specific discourse about male-male sexual relations in the Renaissance. In other words, what these works present is a concentrated body of literature about same-sex love in the early modern era: works that openly and frankly explore the possible origins of the love, the reasons and causes for it; works that explore the ramifications of male-male romantic relationships; works that explore the sexual politics and sociocultural dynamics of same-sex romantic partnerships; and works that describe
Trade ReviewEdward II and a Literature of Same-Sex Love: The Gay King in Fiction, 1590–1640 is a well-researched, well-organized and overall important analysis of representations of same-sex love in early modern English literature. -- Jerry Pierce, Penn State Hazleton
Edward II and a Literature of Same-Sex Love’ is a an enchanting, fabulous and innovative account of the gay king in fiction; Michael G. Cornelius succeeds in putting together a thorough examination of chronicle sources and earlier texts, as they all come together to communicate a gay identity. Queer dreams were certainly made of Edward II. -- Anna Foka, Umeå University
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Sexuality as Silence Representing Edward II in Medieval English Literature Chapter 2: Sexuality as Identity A King, A Lover, and a Crisis of Identity in Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II Chapter 3: Sexuality as History Understanding Michael Drayton’s Obsession Chapter 4: Sexuality as (Flawed) Nature “Let Edward be the subject of thy pen:” Augustinian Character and Contradiction in Sir Francis Hubert’s The Historie of Edward the Second Chapter 5: Sexuality as Disease Identification and The Role of “Defense” in Elizabeth Cary’s The History of the Life, Reign, and Death of Edward II Chapter 6: Sexuality as (Political, Moral, Cultural) Exemplum? The Strange Case of Edward II in Richard Niccols’ Mirror for Magistrates Conclusion The Doom and Promise of History
