Memories of War in Early Modern England

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Focusing on the concept of "spoiling," this book explores how early modern English literature reflects the construction and destruction of the armored male body in combat. Susan Harlan intertwines material culture and militarism, analyzing texts by Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare, along with tributes to Sir Philip Sidney. The work reveals a deep-seated militant nostalgia, showcasing a cultural obsession with past models of warfare and offering fresh insights into humanism, violence, and cultural production in Renaissance England.