A History of Seventeenth-Century Literature outlines significant developments in the English literary tradition between the years 1603 and 1690. An energetic and provocative history of English literature from 1603-1690. Part of the major Blackwell History of English Literature series. Locates seventeenth-century English literature in its social and cultural contexts. Considers the physical conditions of literary production and consumption. Looks at the complex political, religious, cultural and social pressures on seventeenth-century writers. Features close critical engagement with major authors and texts Thomas Corns is a major international authority on Milton, the Caroline Court, and the political literature of the English Civil War and the Interregnum.About the Author: Thomas N. Corns is Professor of English at the University of Wales, Bangor. His recent publications include A Companion to Milton (ed., Blackwell Publishing, 2001) and The Royal Image: Representations of Charles I (ed., 1999). He is an Honoured Scholar of the Milton Society of America.