Power of Forms in the English Renaissance

by Stephen Greenblatt

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1983

About the author

Stephen Greenblatt (Ph.D. Yale) is Cogan University Professor of English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University. Also General Editor of The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Eighth Edition, he is the author of nine books, including Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare; Hamlet in Purgatory; Practicing New Historicism; Marvelous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World; Learning to Curse: Essays in Early Modern Culture; and The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. He has edited six collections of criticism, is the co-author (with Charles Mee) of a play, Cardenio, and is a founding coeditor of the journal Representations. He honors include the MLA's James Russell Lowell Prize, for Shakespearean Negotiations: The Circulation of Social Energy in Renaissance England, the Distinguished Humanist Award from the Mellon Foundation, the Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in Vermont.

Stephen Jay Greenblatt is a Pulitzer Prize winning American literary critic, theorist and scholar.

Greenblatt is regarded by many as one of the founders of New Historicism, a set of critical practices that he often refers to as "cultural poetics"; his works have been influential since the early 1980s when he introduced the term. Greenblatt has written and edited numerous books and articles relevant to new historicism, the study of culture, Renaissance studies and Shakespeare studies and is considered to be an expert in these fields. He is also co-founder of the literary-cultural journal Representations, which often publishes articles by new historicists. His most popular work is Will in the World, a biography of Shakespeare that was on the New York Times Best Seller List for nine weeks.

Reviews

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this groundbreaking work, Greenblatt, a foundational figure in the field of New Historicism, presents a compelling analysis of English Renaissance literature in Power of Forms in the English Renaissance. In this collection of essays, Greenblatt examines the intricate relationship between literary form and the socio-political contexts of the English Renaissance, particularly focusing on figures such as Shakespeare, Spenser, and More.

Through a New Historicist lens, he explores how power structures and social forces shape—and are in turn shaped by—literary expression. The central thesis of this tome is that literary forms in the English Renaissance were not simply aesthetic choices but were deeply embedded in the power dynamics of their time. He argues that the structures and conventions of literary texts were influenced by the ideological and political realities of the Renaissance period. Whether in the sonnets of Shakespeare or the prose of More’s Utopia, literary form becomes a medium through which power is both asserted and resisted. One of the hallmarks of Greenblatt’s New Historicist approach is his insistence that literature does not exist in a vacuum. He punctiliously examines how cultural forces—such as monarchy, religious reform, and economic change—interact with literary texts. For instance, he analyzes how the rigid structures in Spenser’s 'The Faerie Queene' reflect the period’s anxieties about order and governance. Similarly, he discusses how Shakespeare’s plays engage with issues of authority and subversion, often blurring the boundaries between theatrical performance and political commentary. Greenblatt extends his analysis to the notion of theatricality, particularly in Shakespeare’s works. He suggests that Renaissance drama was not just entertainment but a site where power could be negotiated and reimagined. The stage, he argues, provided a space where social roles, identities, and hierarchies could be both reinforced and questioned. This idea is particularly evident in his reading of Richard II, where the theme of kingship is explored as a performance dependent on symbolic power and public perception.

While power and authority shape literary expression, Greenblatt also emphasizes moments of resistance within Renaissance literature. He points out how works such as More’s Utopia simultaneously uphold and critique the very institutions they describe. By highlighting these tensions, Greenblatt demonstrates how literary texts could both serve and challenge dominant ideologies. Greenblatt’s method—combining literary criticism with historical analysis—was groundbreaking at the time and remains influential today. His ability to connect literary forms with historical power structures offers fresh insights into canonical texts. Despite dealing with complex theoretical ideas, Greenblatt writes in a clear and engaging style. His close readings of texts are compelling, and his arguments about power and form are well-supported by historical evidence.

The book draws from a wide range of disciplines, including history, anthropology, and political theory. This interdisciplinary approach enriches the analysis and makes the book valuable not just for literary scholars but also for historians and cultural theorists.

However, there are margins and criticisms for the tome as well. For starters, one criticism of Greenblatt’s approach, often directed at New Historicism more broadly, is that it tends to emphasize historical context at the expense of literary innovation and individual creativity. Some readers may feel that Greenblatt downplays the aesthetic and philosophical dimensions of Renaissance literature in favour of sociopolitical analysis. Secondly, since the book is a collection of essays rather than a single, unified argument, it sometimes lacks a clear overarching structure. While the individual essays are insightful, they do not always build toward a single, cohesive conclusion. Thirdly, some critics argue that Greenblatt infrequently imposes his power-focused reading onto texts in ways that may not fully align with authorial intent. While his analysis is rich and nuanced, there are moments where his interpretations might seem too deterministic, reducing literature to a mere reflection of historical power structures.

To conclude, this tome is an essential work for anyone interested in New Historicism, Renaissance literature, or the interplay between literature and history. Greenblatt’s arguments about the ways literary forms encode and negotiate power remain deeply relevant, influencing literary studies for decades. While the book has some limitations—particularly its sometimes fragmented structure—it remains a compelling and thought-provoking contribution to literary criticism. For readers seeking a deeper understanding of how literature interacts with power and society, Greenblatt’s work provides a rich and rewarding perspective.