Arthur F. KinneyRezensionen

Searching for an introduction to the poetry of [[John Skelton]] (1460-1529) I came across this critical appraisal by Arthur Kinney, which provides an in depth commentary to some of his most well known poems, however Kinney has his own perspective on the poetry and launches almost straight away into his appreciation of "The Bowge of Courte" one of Skelton's longer and I soon found myself getting lost.

When approaching a new-to-me poet or author I invariably hesitate between either launching into the novels/poems, or starting with a biography or critical appreciation. Skelton is a well anthologised poet and I have read snippets of his poems from time to time, but Kinney's book initially appeared fairly daunting, however I persevered and after finishing his book I feel I am better prepared to read some of Skelton's longer poems. Skelton is of great interest to lovers of English poetry because he is the first major poet in the canon after Chaucer and Gower and fills a gap until the Elizabethan poetry of [[Thomas Wyatt]] and [[Henry Howard Earl of Surrey]]. Some critics have said that this is his only claim to fame and at first glance this could appear to be the case. Robert Graves imitated his style in providing a summary of his work that many would agree with:

But angrily, wittily,
Tenderly, prettily
Laughingly, learnedly,
Sadly, madly,
Helter-skelter John
Rhymes serenely on,
As English poets should.
Old John, you do me good.
(Robert Graves)

This rather light hearted approach to the poems is challenged by Kinney who says that to appreciate the poetry one must understand that Skelton was first and foremost a priest and a conservative, catholic one at that. His poems contained messages in a code that the courtiers and clerics surrounding Henry VIII would immediately comprehend, but would be lost to the modern reader. Kinney says that in his major poems Skelton incorporates scraps of Church liturgy, a liturgy that was as familiar to him as it would be to many others at the Tudor court, he wrote them as a priest and they were intended to instruct in the catholic religion. Knowing this the modern reader can understand a little of what Skelton was doing, but an in depth appreciation of the many references that Kinney points up is probably beyond most of us who are not scholars of the period.

Skelton was also a political poet at a time when Henry VIII was launching the reformation. He had been tutor to the young Henry but when he became heir to the throne Skelton was dismissed from his post and appointed as rector of Diss, which was a thriving commercial town in East Anglia (England) and not too far from the court at Westminster. Around 1513 he was back in favour and again at court where he became the self styled poet-laureate. He was soon at loggerheads with Cardinal Wolsey and much of his latter poems castigated the Cardinals style of living and his lack of attention to the church liturgy and his bad influence on the King. All of these details can be gleaned from Kinney's book which does in the end provide a good context for the poems.

Arthur Kinney's book does in the end serve both as a critical appraisal of the poetry and provides some background to the life and times of Skelton, it does however, have a nuanced approach to his subject, which some readers might find difficult to grasp. I am glad I read it and am looking forward to getting to grips with some of Skelton's poems. A three star read.

This was a very expensive book: it is going to cost me a fortune because it has resulted in me adding over 50 books to my wish list and I will probably have to buy an I-pad as well to read all the great stuff that is on line and in the public domain. It is described as "a comprehensive account of English Renaissance literature in the culture that shaped it" and it is just that.

An inspired introduction by Arthur F Kinney which makes use of Hans Holbein's picture "The Ambassadors" to point out the challenges and uncertainties of the sixteenth century. It is a strange painting because at first glance you see a couple of refined courtiers standing somewhat complacently leaning against a sideboard. The picture is filled with the accomplishments of the two men and the age that they represent, but then you notice an extraordinary anamorphic representation of a death's head that slashes diagonally across the foreground of the picture; looking at the painting head on it is a blur it is only when you shift your position sideways that the death's head becomes clear. Then you notice that all is not well with some of the accoutrements depicted and you begin to realise that there is no room for complacency in a century that saw Europe riven by religious upheavals and the beginning of the scramble to open up the colonies in a world that seemed to be expanding.

There follow 14 other chapters by different authors that combine well to give an exciting portrayal of the literary world. There are chapters on poetry and patronage, Lyric forms, narratives, romances and epics, religious writing and the burgeoning drama scene that was to culminate in Shakespeare right at the end of the century. There are also chapters on popular culture, chronicles of private life, authorship and Tudor aesthetics. All the chapters were of interest, they were all written clearly and concisely and the only criticism I would make is that some of them try to cover too much ground in the space allotted to them; for example the chapter on the evolution of Tudor satire feels like a breathless gallop through as many texts as possible without drawing any conclusions. I would say that three of the essays did not quite match the high standards of the other eleven.

The companion is concerned with spelling out what is available to read and as far as possible placing the texts within the context of its genre and the events of the century. There is very little attempt at literary criticism and so I came away with the impression that I had better read as much as possible and form my own judgements. I was happy with this approach.

The companion gives a good overall guide to the literary scene in sixteenth century England and the year by year chronology of events and published texts at the start of the book is enough to generate many hours of reading. Also at the end of each chapter there are notes and a suggested book list for further reading. You would not be picking up this book if you did not have an interest in it's subject, but for people who are interested and want to know more about it then this is an excellent introduction. A four star read.