Ina book which brings together language, text and context, Patricia Canningsynthesises models of contemporary stylistics with both critical and literary-historicaltheory. In doing so, the author maintains a specific and sustained stylistic focuson the religious, political and ideological issues that animated and definedReformation England. Each chapter interrogates the dichotomous concept of‘word' and ‘image' by considering the ways in which writers of this period dealwith these contentious subjects in their dramatic and poetic works.‘Representation', Canning argues, ‘is not just as a matter of semiotics but ofideology'.
Whereasstylistics enjoys extensive application in the analysis of contemporary texts,it has, until now, been markedly under-used in the exploration of the historicalliterary genre. Addressing this shortcoming squarely and robustly, Canning'sbook is a showcase for the stylistic method. Among its many insights, this bookshows how stylistics can enrich our understanding and critical interpretationof a particular literary genre in its ideological and historical context.
