Description
Book SynopsisThe Tudors are one of the best known royal families in English history. Over three generations, they constructed and maintained their status and authority during a period of social, political and religious unrest. This book examines the textual basis of Tudor royal power. Through analyses of correspondence alongside genres including proclamations and historical chronicles, the book explores the visual and verbal practices that came to symbolise monarchic authority in the Tudor era. Mel Evans combines concepts from sociolinguistics and pragmatics with corpus linguistic methods to explore the characteristics of authentic English language Tudor texts, alongside materials reporting and appropriating royal language. The book reveals a pervasive sixteenth-century royal voice - one which is central to the articulation and perpetuation of Tudor monarchic power.
Trade Review'Evans (English and Linguistics, Univ. of Leicester, UK) studies the verbal and visual features of Tudor texts to track the ways in which monarchs' royal voices found expression and comprehension among their subjects.' L. C. Attreed, Choice
'Evans' meticulous material and linguistic analysis of Tudor royal documents and their non-royal imitations and counterparts successfully demonstrates the importance of a royal register of language in royal documents and texts to the construction and representation of royal authority.' Jessica G. Purdy, Royal Studies Journal
Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Authentic Royal Voices: 1. Materiality and power in Tudor royal correspondence; 2. Royal epistolary language: trends and trajectories; 3. Pragmatic perspectives on royal letters; 4. Tudor royal proclamations: materiality, orality and performance; Part II. Appropriated Royal Voices: 5. Non-royal views of royal voices: afterlives and metalanguage; 6. Impostor, protector and queen: the textual power of royal pretenders; 7. Writing royal voices: royal discourse reports in sixteenth-century correspondence; 8. Royal voices, narrative and ideology in sixteenth-century chronicles; Conclusion.
