The Beauties of the Land
Bale's Books, Aske's Abbeys, and the Aesthetics of Nationhood
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10420977 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Philip Schwyzer (0000-0002-2381-4424, University of Exeter, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 99-125 |
| Publication date | 2004-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Renaissance Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0034-4338 • E-ISSN: 1935-0236 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2307/1262375 |
| OpenAlex | W2582986515 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 8 |
Although often ignored in studies of nationalism, beauty is a central feature of every imagined nation. The conflicts surrounding the dissolution of the monasteries can be read as hinging on the question of what makes a nation beautiful. For the traditionalist rebel Robert Aske, "the beauties of this realm" were the abbeys themselves. For John Bale, by contrast, the books ransacked from monastic libraries were the true "beauty of our nation." Whereas Aske offers a vision of timeless feudal harmony, Bale's idea of national beauty, rooted in Petrarchan motifs of loss and nostalgia, inaugurates new ways of imagining the nation. "That's an ill phrase, a vile phrase, 'beautified' is a vile phrase.- Hamlet, 2.2.111-12
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Beauty · Feudalism · Harmony (color · Literature · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Realm · Visual arts · History · Irish and British Studies · Law · Scottish History and National Identity
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |