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In contrast to previous studies that have portrayed Mary Sidney as a demure, retiring woman, this biography shows that she was actually an outspoken and dynamic figure. Basing her work on primary sources including account books, legal documents, diaries, and family letters, Hannay shows that Sidney was a vibrant, eloquent, self-assertive woman who was deeply involved in Protestant politics.Although she did confine her writings to appropriately feminine genres, she called herself "Sister of Philip Sidney" to establish a literary and political identity.As a Phoenix rising from her brother's ashes, she transcended gender restrictions by publishing her brother's writings, by writing and translating works which he would have approved, by assuming his role as literary patron, and by supporting the cause for which he died.Hannay also reveals--via court cases--that in her final years the countess turned from literary to administrative responsibilities, contending with jewel thieves, pirates, and murderers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent, well-written account of Mary's life and works
Crucial for anyone writing about the Sidneys, this book is balanced, fascinating and readable.Hannay's impeccable research includes the religious background, which is somewhat rare among Sidneyians; she doesn't waste time on speculation, which is the abiding fault of Duncan-Jones' biography of Philip Sidney.I can't wait for Hannay's edition of the Countess's works. ... Read more

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Contents: The Defense of Poesy by Sir Philip Sidney. On Shakespeare; On Bacon by Ben Jonson. Of Agriculture by Abraham Cowley. The Vision of Mirza; Westminster Abbey by Joseph Addison. The Spectator Club by Sir Richard Steele. Hints Towards an Essay on Conversation; A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding; A Letter of Advice to a Young Poet; On the Death of Esther Johnson (Stella) by Jonathan Swift. The Shortest Way With the Dissenters; The Education of Women by Daniel Defoe. Life of Addison by Samuel Johnson. Of the Standard of Taste by David Hume. Fallacies of Anti-reformers by Sydney Smith. On Posey or Art by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Of Persons One Would Wish to Have Seen by William Hazlitt. Deaths of Little Children; On the Realities of Imagination by Leigh Hunt. On the Tragedies of Shakespeare by Charles Lamb. Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow by Thomas De Quincey. A Defense of Poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Machiavelli by Thomas Babington Macaulay. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Writing After Sidney examines the literary response to Sir Philip Sidney (1554-86), author of the Arcadia, Astrophil and Stella, and The Defence of Poesy, and the most immediately influential writer of the Elizabethan period. It does so by looking closely both at Sidney and at four writers who had an important stake in his afterlife: his sister Mary Sidney, his brother Robert Sidney, his best friend Fulke Greville, and his niece Mary Wroth. At the same time as these authors wrote their own works in response to Sidney they presented his life and writings to the world, and were shaped by other writers as his literary and political heirs. Readings of these five central authors are embedded in a more general study of the literary and cultural scene in the years after Sidney's death, examining the work of such writers as Spenser, Jonson, Daniel, Drayton, and Herbert. The study uses a wide range of manuscript and printed sources, and key use is made of perspectives from Renaissance literary theory, especially Renaissance rhetoric. The book aims to come to a better understanding of the nature of Sidney's impact on the literature of the fifty or so years after his death in 1586; it also aims to improve our understanding both of Sidney and of the other writers discussed by developing a more nuanced approach to the questions of imitation and example so central to Renaissance literature. It thereby adds to the general store of our understanding of how writing of the English Renaissance offered examples to later readers and writers, and of how it encountered and responded to such examples itself. ... Read more

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Essays include: The Defense of Poesy by Sidney; On Shakespear by Jonson; On Bacon by Jonson; Of Agriculture by Cowley; The Vision of Mirza by Addison; Westminster Abbey by Addison; The Spectator Club by Steele; Hints towards an Essay on Conversation by Swift; A Treatise on Good Manners and Good Breeding by Swift; A Letter of Advise to a Yount Poet by Swift; On the Dearth of Esther Johnson (Stella) by Swift; The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters by Defoe; The Education of Women by Defoe; Life of Addison, 1672-1709 by Johnson; On the Standard of Taste by Hume; Fallacies of Anti-Reformers by Smith; On Poesy or Art by Coleridge; Of Persons One Would Wish to Have Seen by Hazlitt; Deaths of Little Children by Hunt; On the Realities of Imagination by Hunt; On the Tragedies of Shakspere by Lamb; Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow by de Quincey; A Defence of Poetry by Shelley; Machiavelli by Macaulay. ... Read more

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Ouing In Trueth, And Fayne In Verse My Loue To Show, That She, Deare Shee, Might Take Som Pleasure Of My Paine, Pleasure Might Cause Her Reade, Reading Might Make Her Know. ... Read more

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Anna Weamys's A Continuation of Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia is a woman's contribution to one of the dominant genres of her sex's readership in the seventeenth century: the heroic romance. Part of the considerable power and appeal of this work is its reduction of the heroic romance to a smaller scale. In its shorter length and its comparatively direct style, it avoids the fustian and bloat of the form. At the same time, it elaborates on the genre's stronger points--its playfulness and fantasy, its explorations of the nuances of sensibility--while not sacrificing its capacity for political statement. Weamys's Arcadia is an interesting and accessible story that, while it pairs well with Sidney, can stand on its own or be paired with other writers of romance like Shakespeare or Spenser. The first appearance of the text since the seventeenth century, this volume includes both a modernized and an old-spelling edition of the text. ... Read more

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Publisher: Boston, Ginn ... Read more

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Among the gilded youth of Elizabethan England, none was more golden than Philip Sidney.Courtier, poet, soldier, diplomat-he was one of the most promising young men of his time. Son of Elizabeth I's deputy in Ireland, nephew and heir to her favorite, Leicester, he received an exemplary education. On leaving Oxford University he was tipped for high office-and was even a candidate to inherit the throne. But Philip soon found himself caught up in the intricate politics of Elizabeth's court and forced to become as Machiavellian as everyone around him if he was to achieve his ambitions.

Against a backdrop of Elizabethan intrigue and the battle between the Protestants and the Catholics for predominance in Europe, Alan Stewart tells the riveting story of Philip Sidney's struggle to succeed.Seeing that his continental allies had a greater sense of his importance than his English contemporaries, Philip turned his attention to Europe.He was made a French baron at seventeen, corresponded with leading foreign scholars, considered marriage proposals from two princesses and, in 1586, he cemented his fame by dying on the battlefront in the Low Countries at the tragically young age of thirty-one.
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Customer Reviews (2)

A so-so rendering of a fascinating life
Alan Stewart's book might not be great (and, indeed, Katherine Duncan-Jones's biography of Sidney is, in my opinion, much more engrossing and insightful), but it is not as hopelessly boring as a previous reviewer would have us think. According to the opinions expressed by that reviewer, it would seem that any life that is not well documented would not be worth writing a biography about. That is obviously not so, since lack of evidence has always added to a subject's historical fascination. This is especially true of everything Elizabethan. I believe that Philip Sidney was indeed an interesting character, not least because of his tolerance and compassion in a world where neither of these virtues was terribly commonplace. I also believe he was a gifted writer. He was also a member of a politically active family in a politically driven, factious age. Any of these elements alone justifies writing a biography about him. So there's no question of a "boring life" here. I think that the problem here is that Stewart gives a lot of facts, but little insight into what Sidney was really like. In regard to aspects of his emotional life, such as his real feelings for Penelope Rich and his wife Frances, this is probably due to lack of evidence. But, in regard to his more-than-documented public life, that can hardly be the case. I would have appreciated more interpretation together with the naked facts. Also, I think that the subject of Sidney as a writer was insufficiently addressed. Katherine Duncan-Jones's biography is much better at both these issues, and it is the book I would recommend to anyone interested in this remarkable man. Let me say, however, that all is not wrong: Stewart's attempt at depicting Elizabethan politics and power struggles is good enough. This is not what I'd call a gripping book, but it's not a bad one either. What is clear, though, is that in no way can any of its flaws be attributed to its subject. Philip Sidney was certainly a fascinating person in a weird, enthralling, fascinating age.

Philip Sidney: A Boring Life (Until the end, when he dies)
Admittedly I've never read another biography of Philip Sidney, but this one was a tough read.The author choose a tough topic, the often venerated, seldom understood Sir Philip Sidney courtier during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.I decided to read this book because it received a good review in the Atlantic Monthly which said Philip Sidney has been considered a true life embodiment of Castiglione's Perfect Courtier.From what I could tell this was because he died long before he was old enough to do anything unlike a perfect courtier.

The "Double Life" suggests the different ways Sidney was appreciated in England and on the continent. At home, Sidney was constantly being stifled by the whims and maneouvres of the Queen. (Elizabeth's actions are not well justified in Stewart's portrayal.) On the Continent, Sidney is venerated,befriended, and appreciated by Protestants and Catholics alike, for reasons that are not well explained in the text.

The biography also struggles to portray Sidney as a person.I could never get a handle on his personality because it seems that there is not enough documentation to determine what he was really like. Everytime his life got interesting or controversial, records or letters are absent. Thus his story, while fundamentally uninteresting is compounded with a series of anticlimaxes.The only event which was well documented was his death. This was particularly frustrating (after 310 pages) as the reader does not know whether to weep or to cheer.

The problem with Pillip Sidney: A Double Life was whether it should have been written in this format at all.The text is much more useful as an academic reference than as a "good read," yet it is packaged and written as if it were filled with intrigue, controversy, romance and interest. It is not, and probably could not be written so, due to scores of missing letters or other substantive evidence.

I gave the book two stars because it did convey a great deal of information, uninteresting or otherwise. It also did not seem to fail for any reason on its own merits of argument or fact.

I question whether this book should have been published. While I'm sure the author knows a great deal about Elizabethan England, he did not know that there simply isn't enough information about Philip Sidney to either get excited or to write an entire book about.

It seems that the reasons Pilip was regarded as the Perfect Courtier will forever remain a mystery. Vain attempts to explain this will not succeed until more information is discovered. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Celebrations of literary fictions as autonomous worlds appeared first in the Renaissance and were occasioned, paradoxically, by their power to remedy the ills of history. Robert E. Stillman explores this paradox in relation to Philip Sidney's "Defence of Poesy", the first Renaissance text to argue for the preeminence of poetry as an autonomous form of knowledge in the public domain. Offering a fresh interpretation of Sidney's celebration of fiction-making, Stillman locates the origins of his poetics inside a neglected historical community: the intellectual elite associated with Philip Melanchthon (leader of the German Reformation after Luther), the so-called Philippists.As a challenge to traditional Anglo-centric scholarship, his study demonstrates how Sidney's education by Continental Philippists enabled him to dignify fiction-making as a compelling form of public discourse - compelling because of its promotion of powerful new concepts about reading and writing, its ecumenical piety, and its political ambition to secure through natural law (from universal 'Ideas') freedom from the tyranny of confessional warfare.Intellectually ambitious and wide-ranging, this study draws together various elements of contemporary scholarship in literary, religious, and political history in order to afford a broader understanding of the Defence and the cultural context inside which Sidney produced both his poetry and his poetics. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Publisher: London Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme; Publication date: 1807; Subjects: History / General; Literary Collections / Essays; Reference / Quotations; Travel / Essays ... Read more

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The book may have numerous typos or missing text. It is not illustrated or indexed. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website. You can also preview the book there.Purchasers are also entitled to a trial membership in the publisher's book club where they can select from more than a million books for free.Original Publisher: T. O. H. P. Burnham Publication date: 1860Subjects: Literary Criticism / Poetry; Poetry / General; Poetry / Anthologies; Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh ... Read more