Penury Into Plenty - Dearth and the Making of Knowledge in Early Modern England

Penury into Plenty: Dearth and the Making of Knowledge in Early Modern England is an original examination of cultural meanings of dearth and famine in England at the turn of the sixteenth century. It focuses on the socio-economic and ecological crises of the 1590s, investigating the effects of widespread fears of famine on mundane activities and knowledge making by analyzing the remedial measures undertaken by the early modern English to illustrate their commitment to resource management. The activities, theories, and publications of the prolific 'dearth scientist' Sir Hugh Platt are considered alongside other forms of literature such as sermons, plays, poetry and prose fiction to explain not only what dearth or famine meant in the period, but how contemporaries understood sustainable resource management.

By drawing upon environmental, economic, scientific, and literary history and theory, Penury into Plenty allows modern readers to see that sustainability is not a wholly modern concept and the investigation of cultural forms of ecological consciousness and social consequences of past environmental change is vital for understanding contemporary concerns.

List of contents

1. Introduction: The Problem of Dearth in Early Modern England
2. Literatures of Dearth
3. Dearth and Knowledge-making
4. Dearth Science, Sustainability, and the Economy of Manure
5. Sustainable Households
6. Trading in Dearth

About the author

Ayesha Mukherjee is Lecturer in English at the University of Exeter. Her research is focused on early modern English literature and cultural history.

Product details

• Authors: Ayesha Mukherjee, Ayesha (University of Exeter Mukherjee, Mukherjee Ayesha
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 17.12.2014
• EAN: 9781138811164
• ISBN: 978-1-138-81116-4
• No. of pages: 286
• Series: Routledge Research in Early Modern History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Management; European History, HISTORY / General, HISTORY / Europe / General, HISTORY / Modern / 16th Century, HISTORY / Modern / 17th Century, Economic history, British & Irish history, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700, History and Archaeology, 16th century, c 1500 to c 1599