"My dere chylde take hede how Trystram doo you tell": Hunting in English Literature, 1486-1603

<p>Hunting was a widely known and practiced pastime in early modern England.Aristocratic hunting was a complex practice that required knowledge of specific procedures and vocabulary, regardless of the prey being pursued. As such, hunting was an assertion of status in society and of one’s identity as a human, dominant over the animal kingdom. My dissertation examines the practice of the hunt in Tudor literature, expanding the chronological and generic focus of previous work. I argue that when early modern English authors cite hunting in their text, or structure a text around an incident or trope of hunting, they are doing so in an attempt to assert a kind of status for themselves, their text, their argument. I focus on moments where the hunt is traditionally and conventionally used as a trope: in a retreat to the country from the city or court, in religious satire, in the love chase, and in progress entertainments. My methodology is to expand on these traditional tropes, demonstrating how the author subtly uses the language and procedures of the practice of the hunt in order to assert his status. These authors go beyond simple metaphors or allegories, using what was a widely known and practiced pastime to their rhetorical advantage. </p> <p>My first chapter considers hunting in poems written during political exile or disadvantage, with sections on Sir Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, George Gascoigne, and William Shakespeare. I argue that the authors use the hunt to reconnect with the court, by asserting their prestige and their mastery over the practice.</p> <p>My second chapter examines the use of hunting in religious polemic by William Turner to appeal to Henry VIII and nobles who are interested in further reform. Turner goes beyond the traditional satirical convention of calling one’s opponents foxes and wolves, developing the allegory with practical information about the hunt and about the system of forest laws in England.</p> <p>In my third chapter, I focus on the hunt as love chase, a conventional trope. I examine how Sir Thomas Wyatt, Michael Drayton, and Edmund Spenser enrich the metaphor with language and procedures from the actual practice of the hunt. With this addition, the poets are able to turn what seems like a failed hunt to their advantage, using their knowledge of the practice to get the better of their prey. </p> <p>The fourth chapter looks at the hunt on Elizabethan progress. Using the Kenilworth (1575) and Cowdray (1591) entertainments, I examine how the hunt is presented, demonstrating that it is a rich site of conflict and negotiation that Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and Anthony Browne, Viscount Montague, use to navigate their relationship with the queen and that Elizabeth uses to assert and affirm her own status. Examining how writers use the practice of the hunt reveals the nuances of particular texts and demonstrates how important hunting was to early modern English authors.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Kelly, Erin Katherine

Contributors dc:contributor

• King, John
• Wilson, Luke

• British and Irish Literature
• Literature
• hunting
• Wyatt, Sir Thomas
• Howard, Henry, Earl of Surrey
• Gascoigne, George
• Shakespeare, William
• Turner, William
• Drayton, Michael
• Spenser, Edmund
• Elizabeth I
• progress entertainments

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1366055200

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1366055200