Writing Under Tyranny

This is a truly important book, a major contribution to the study of the early Tudor regime, and a masterclass in how to read literature as historical evidence. Peter Marshall, Journal of Ecclesiastical History Walker's readings invest the literature of the early sixteenth century with a complex political urgency that is more often associated with Elizabethan texts. This thoroughly researched and well-written book asks us to rethink the standard narrative of sixteenth-century literary history ... For scholars in the fields of literature and history, Writing under Tyranny is destined to become a classic. Journal of British Studies A new book by Greg Walker ... is a major event. Reviews in History Walker's ability to invoke very specific points of reference in clarifying the contemporary significance of his texts is ... remarkable ... This is an important book, which deserves to have a profound influence upon the ways in which we understand the literature of the Henrician period. Roderick J. Lyall, Cahiers Elisabethains Walker gives voice to a fascinating dialogue between literature and politics ... in a compelling work ... This is an actively engaging book, required reading for anyone interested in the relation between literature and politics, and a welcome addition to the ranks of intellectual history. Alessandra Petrina, Renaissance Quarterly ...an exceptionally good book..this study will surely remain an important work. Lucy Wooding, English Historical Review Walker's strength is that he understands and engages intimately with the culture of a generation schooled in the rhetorical tradition ... Walker is a most acute critic of the literature of an age when most published writers were active politicians and most politicians were writers. Patrick Collinson, London Review of Books ...a monumental achievement that furthers our understanding of an area that Walker has done much to illuminate over the years. The careful and scrupulous analysis of a whole range of texts that deserve to be better known, and more meticulously read, has resulted in a serious, scholarly and, in places, profound work, well written throughout. Andrew Hadfield, Times Literary Supplement Walker's book is persuasively written...[and] will undoubtedly win many fans... The Review of English Studies Walker's argument about Henry VIII's slide into tyranny is potentially an interesting line of argument... Sixteenth Century Journal