Early Modern English Literature - Book Report/Review Example

Running head: Sources Commentary on Three Literary Piece Sources Commentary on Three Literary Piece During the Early Modern England Name) (Institution) The Renaissance period or the early modern England can be considered as one of the colorful eras of art and literature. It is in this period when the modern English language found its form. It is also in this period when Shakespeare and other author's literary pieces were written. Among these is The Cruell Shrow by Arthur Hilliarg which was published in 1673. It is among the Roxburghe Ballads and one of the admired anti-marriage literary pieces. However, nothing much has been written about Hilliarg. Hilliarg's work opened my eyes to the misery of a man who has been unfortunate to have ever married a nagging wife. The target audience of Hilliarg's work was obvious from the very start. It called on the bachelors and married men who can relate to the narrator's desolate state - a man who spends his whole day working to earn a living; and, at night instead of going home to a place where he can rest his mind and body he finds a jealous, suspicious, and nagging wife. Reading Hilliarg's work is a bit humorous and semi-tragic tragic because the protagonist has to go through all the misery in his entire married life. He even cited every detail of his misfortune (e.g. while he was sweating out in the field his wife spends her day gossiping). However, the woman's attitude can be explained in Mario DiGangi's (1997) book on The Homoerotics of Early Modern Drama. In DiGangi's analysis he drew on the insights of materialist, feminist and odd theory. In this era, men ordinarily toil for his family but the demanding women are likewise illuminated particularly the mannish women. By Hilliarg's work, his readers must have developed second thoughts on betrothal, especially the bachelors who were already carrying the load of being the bread winner of their family. Although Hilliarg's original target audiences are the male species, I believe The Cruell Shrow was enjoyed even by women, especially the women who take pleasure in controlling their husband and those who would want to be in charge of their would-be husband's. Contrary to Hilliarg's work is the Pleasant New Songe of a Jovial Tinker published on 1616 by an unknown author. Admittedly, it took me a while before I was able to fully comprehend the meaning of the lyrics of this ballad. After a labourious reading, I believe the ballad on the jovial tinker tells a story of a happy-go-lucky man whom his country has forsaken for being so cruel to women and children. Whoever its author, this literary piece must be intended to serve as a lesson to the populace: men or women, professional or otherwise. A tinker is a skilled worker; in the ballad, he was a good and jolly man. He laboured to earn a living. But most of his income went to vices, especially on liquors. Alcohol downed him, and caused him to beat his wife and daughter. Although the main character was a man (a father, a husband, and a breadwinner) everybody in the family must have enjoyed reading and singing this piece because of the lessons they acquired. This ballad taught its audience the value of family, of one's profession, of respect, and the value of saving the hard-earned money for more significant things. During the 17th century, ordinary English laborers would usually gather in an alehouse and spend on drinks and vices. The common reason for so doing is relaxation after a day or a long week's work. But some exceeds their limit; oftentimes, the man goes home drunk. Hence, in the ballad, the jovial tinker would end up crying and drinking. As the 'Pleasant New Songe of a Jovial Tinker' imparts a lesson to its audience, another popular literature by Robert Greene provides valuable information to its readers. It is 'The Art of Coney Catching' which was published in 1591. Greene was one of England's first professionally writers to earn a living from his works. The pamphlet on Coney catching in itself was the first in a series on the notable art of Cozenage, also known as cheating and pilferage. Greene's work relays the various steps taken within the criminal underworld by villainous gangs in order to catch their Coney (Victim). Using an elaborate ploy cloaked over by seemingly good intentions the Coney is blindly led by the con men (in this case three con men: a setter, Verser, and Barnacle) into false sense of security. Once the Coney has been overcome by his greedy nature, he is stripped of all his possessions by the turn of a card stacked in favour of the con men. Greene's work on the Art of Coney Catching is by his own admission for the benefit of the entire country. Published in a time of economic woe where crime is sharply on the rise one could assume that the work of his first and very informative pamphlet was intended to act as a guide or warning for all those that are deemed to be susceptible to the lure of villainous gangs operating in London. In this case, middling sorts such as young gentlemen, rich farmers and merchants, all those who were assumed to carry a large amount of money or had items on them to such effects. Greene's intended audience we cannot be sure about, however from his work it is possible to make calculated guesses. The use of language is a good indicator. At times throughout the pamphlet Green writes in Latin. This indicates that such work was not written for the lower people of society (whom could neither read nor understand Latin) but was rather meant for the educated wealthier members of the English society. The Coney Catching pamphlet was also probably not intended to be viewed by the inhabitants of London. Rather, it was meant for the members of the society who visit and pass through London. Those living around London at the time were probably expected to know of such scams. Such work was most likely distributed further a field from London to other parts of the country. Greene's work, however, was probably not just enjoyed by the middle class. The story of Greene being a reformed sinner turned investigative journalist working undercover in the criminal world in order to protect the hard working, god-fearing men. Many of whom are likely to be fleeced out of their hard earned money by the Skulduggery lurking within London. Such sensationalism therefore would no doubt have brought widely acclaimed readership from within the lower ranks of the society. Reference DiGangi, M. (1997). The Homoerotics of Early Modern Drama [On-line]. Available: http://www.cambridge.org/uk/catalogue/catalogue.aspisbn=9780521583411 Read More