Wyatt, Surrey, and Early Tudor Poetry

Book excerpt: For the courtiers of King Henry VIII, the writing of verse was a sign of a ready wit and social gracefulness. But their verse could also give coded expression to desires and resentments produced by competition amongst an elite for the favour of an increasingly tyrannical king. This study focuses primarily on the work of the two most successful courtier poets, Sir Thomas Wyatt (c.1503-1542) and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517-1547). Although Surrey admired and imitated Wyatt, each represents a significantly different element in the Henrician court. Wyatt was a 'new man', rising in the service of the King, while Surrey was a member of the old peerage, jealous of the erosion of traditional powers and privileges. The book offers readings of the full range of each man's writing, from amorous Italianate songs and sonnets, to classicizing epigrams and satires, and Reformist psalm paraphrases. The poetry is considered in the contexts of their careers, of the writing of contemporaries, and of the political and social conditions within which they lived. Dr Heale's analysis makes it clear that the lightest court song is often freighted with complex significance, while the poems of plain-speaking reflection prove to be wily approximations of the truth. This accessible and informative text will be a helpful resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of English literature and history, especially those taking courses on Renaissance and Early Modern writing, Tudor literature, and the Tudor court. -- Book cover.