Spirit Of Wit: Reconsiderations Of Rochester

Spirit Of Wit: Reconsiderations Of Rochester

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Condition: SECONDHAND

This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.


Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good

At the scandalous heart of the Restoration court stood John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester — rake, libertine, and one of the most dazzling poets in the English language — and Spirit of Wit: Reconsiderations of Rochester presents a rigorous and illuminating reassessment of his enduring literary legacy. This scholarly anthology, edited by Jeremy Treglown, gathers a distinguished collection of critical essays that collectively uncover the depth, complexity, and subversive brilliance concealed beneath Rochester's notorious reputation, placing his work firmly within the intellectual and cultural currents of seventeenth-century England. The volume argues persuasively that Rochester demands to be read not merely as a figure of Restoration excess, but as a poet of profound philosophical restlessness, whose verse chronicles the tensions between reason, desire, and moral disillusionment with startling modernity. Treglown's editorial hand is assured and scholarly, weaving together diverse critical perspectives — from close textual analysis to broader cultural and biographical readings — that illuminate Rochester's unique position in the canon of English poetry. Written with the precision and authority of leading academics in the field, this collection remains an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand why Rochester's voice, sharp, bawdy, and deeply human, continues to resonate across the centuries.

Author: Jeremy Treglown
Format: Hardback

Genre: Literary theory

Description


Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good

At the scandalous heart of the Restoration court stood John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester — rake, libertine, and one of the most dazzling poets in the English language — and Spirit of Wit: Reconsiderations of Rochester presents a rigorous and illuminating reassessment of his enduring literary legacy. This scholarly anthology, edited by Jeremy Treglown, gathers a distinguished collection of critical essays that collectively uncover the depth, complexity, and subversive brilliance concealed beneath Rochester's notorious reputation, placing his work firmly within the intellectual and cultural currents of seventeenth-century England. The volume argues persuasively that Rochester demands to be read not merely as a figure of Restoration excess, but as a poet of profound philosophical restlessness, whose verse chronicles the tensions between reason, desire, and moral disillusionment with startling modernity. Treglown's editorial hand is assured and scholarly, weaving together diverse critical perspectives — from close textual analysis to broader cultural and biographical readings — that illuminate Rochester's unique position in the canon of English poetry. Written with the precision and authority of leading academics in the field, this collection remains an essential reference for anyone seeking to understand why Rochester's voice, sharp, bawdy, and deeply human, continues to resonate across the centuries.