British Renaissance Poetry: Selected Poems

The Renaissance was the beginning of the modern world in the areas of geography, science, politics, religion, society and art. London became not only the capital of England, but also the main city of the known world. And English, in the hands of writers like Shakespeare, became the modern language we can recognize today. English poetry bursts into sudden glory in the late 1570s. A decisive shift of taste toward a fluent artistry self-consciously displaying its own grace and sophistication was announced in the works of Spenser and Sidney.