‘Rich and Strange’: Encountering Early Modern Poetry in the Subject of English - A Study of the Reading and Reception of Renaissance Poetry by Teachers and Students in England

This thesis presents a study of the perceptions of students, teachers, lecturers and examiners of the reading and reception of early modern poetry in the subject of English, in England. The opening chapters provide a context for the current reading and reception of early modern poetry by examining three key historical periods in the development of attitudes towards early modern poetry within the subject of English. The historical periods examined are; the English Renaissance, the end of the nineteenth century and current educational contexts. The attitudes of key theorists such as Sidney (1595/2004) and Brooks (1947/1968) are explored, along with writings on the pedagogy of poetry and early modern poetry. The research strategy for this study is presented in the following two chapters. Sixteen in-depth interviews were collected from four groups of participants; students, teachers, lecturers and examiners. The group of sixteen participants was chosen as a group of experts, in that they were familiar with the poetry in an educational context and felt confident in discussing their perceptions of early modern poetry.
Analysis of the data follows from discussions of the methodology and leads to findings about the various strands of the participants’ perceptions of early modern poetry. The elements of perception that are explored are; the ways in which participants interpreted early modern poetry, what participants perceived as significant in the poetry and what was identified by them as the particular qualities or characteristics they viewed as specific to early modern poetry. Discussion of the participants’ perceptions makes links with theoretical debates regarding perceptions of early modern poetry within the subject of English. In conclusion, recommendations for professional practice are made and an argument presented for raising the status of early modern poetry, particularly in the secondary sector and within teacher training, in the subject of English.