Rhetoric and Poetry in the Renaissance A Study of Rhetorical Terms in English Renaissance Literary Criticism

This work surveys the way classical rhetorical theory seeped into English literary criticism from the mid‑16th to early‑17th centuries. By following the terminology that writers borrowed from Greek and Roman sources, the author shows how those borrowed words carried with them enduring patterns of thought that still shape poetry criticism today. The study also uncovers a quieter strand: medieval English traditions that, though later eclipsed by Italian Aristotelian ideas, continued to inform the critical conversation.

The book is divided into two sections. The first examines how rhetoric reshaped general poetic theory, exploring the influence of thinkers such as Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus on English essays and manuals. The second turns to the Renaissance conception of poetry’s purpose, tracing debates over moral instruction, allegory, and the poet’s role. Throughout, the author supplements existing scholarship with clear translations of primary sources, making a dense scholarly field accessible to listeners interested in the history of ideas.