Royal Voices - Language and Power in Tudor England

A linguistic examination of Tudor texts that demonstrates the importance of materiality and language in the construction of royal power.

List of contents

Introduction; Part I. Authentic Royal Voices: 1. Materiality and power in Tudor royal correspondence; 2. Royal epistolary language: trends and trajectories; 3. Pragmatic perspectives on royal letters; 4. Tudor royal proclamations: materiality, orality and performance; Part II. Appropriated Royal Voices: 5. Non-royal views of royal voices: afterlives and metalanguage; 6. Impostor, protector and queen: the textual power of royal pretenders; 7. Writing royal voices: royal discourse reports in sixteenth-century correspondence; 8. Royal voices, narrative and ideology in sixteenth-century chronicles; Conclusion.

About the author

Mel Evans is a lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the University of Leicester. Previous publications include The Language of Elizabeth I: A Sociolinguistic Perspective on Royal Style and Identity (2013)

Summary

Through an exploration of the material and linguistic properties of Tudor royal texts, this book argues that Tudor royals and their subjects recognised an English 'royal voice' that symbolised monarchic power. Contemporary methods and concepts are used to illuminate and appraise the textual practices of the Tudor monarchy and their subjects.

Product details

• Authors: Mel Evans, Mel (University of Birmingham) Evans, Mel (University of Leicester) Evans
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.06.2020
• EAN: 9781107131217
• ISBN: 978-1-107-13121-7
• No. of pages: 278
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; England, European History, c 1500 onwards to present day, British & Irish history, Literary studies: general, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, Historical & comparative linguistics, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, 16th century, c 1500 to c 1599, c 1500 to c 1600, Historical and comparative linguistics, Literary studies: c 1400 to c 1600