The first part of this work is devoted to the arts as an expression of cultural attitudes. The author emphasizes the importance of court culture because of its importance throughout most of the century as the focus of the nation's cultural energies and as a great source of patronage. The second part of the book looks at developments in the areas of science, religion and political theory. The author includes a chapter on antiquarianism, as one of the notable features of 17th century intellectual life was the resourcefulness with which the national past was explored and the findings applied to the present. Throughout the book there are biographical sketches of representative individuals. This work is part of the "Longman literature in English series" which aims to provide students of literature with a critical introduction to the major genres in their historical and cultural context from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day and includes literature from all over the English-speaking world.
The book is considered an ideal reference work for upper school or undergraduate students studying the literature, history or politics of the 17th century and for Open University students on the Arts Foundation course.
