Philip Sidney was a famous courtier, soldier, poet and patron in Elizabethan England. As the best work of literary criticism in the English Renaissance, Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy not only contains rich poetic, philosophical and aesthetic values, but also permeates with comments and suggestions on current politics, implying advanced ideas of statecraft. Studying The Defense of Poesy in the context of social, political and cultural anxiety in England in the late 1570s and early 1580s, this article attempts to reveal Sidney’s creative motive and governing ideology. The adherence to ethical values shows his belief in “building the state with political virtue”; the praise of the heroic epic reveals the determination to “protect the state with military force”; the prospect of national poetics presents the vision of “strengthening the state with national culture”. Sidney reinterpreted the function of poetry and the responsibility of poets at the time of national crisis. Discussing politics in the name of poetry, Sidney expressed his efforts to create a political poetics aiming to serve the state, and demonstrated the beautiful political vision of building a “golden world” of heroic, solidary, independent, and united England. Throughout his life, Sidney turned the ideas of statecraft into an act of serving the country. After his early death in battle, he was hailed as the cultural icon and national hero of England.
| Published in | Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 12, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12 |
| Page(s) | 29-34 |
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Philip Sidney, The Defense of Poesy, Ideas of Statecraft
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APA Style
Wenjia, Z. (2024). Ideas of Statecraft in Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy. Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(2), 29-34. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12
ACS Style
Wenjia, Z. Ideas of Statecraft in Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2024, 12(2), 29-34. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12
AMA Style
Wenjia Z. Ideas of Statecraft in Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy. Humanit Soc Sci. 2024;12(2):29-34. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12,
author = {Zhu Wenjia},
title = {Ideas of Statecraft in Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy},
journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
volume = {12},
number = {2},
pages = {29-34},
doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20241202.12},
abstract = {Philip Sidney was a famous courtier, soldier, poet and patron in Elizabethan England. As the best work of literary criticism in the English Renaissance, Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy not only contains rich poetic, philosophical and aesthetic values, but also permeates with comments and suggestions on current politics, implying advanced ideas of statecraft. Studying The Defense of Poesy in the context of social, political and cultural anxiety in England in the late 1570s and early 1580s, this article attempts to reveal Sidney’s creative motive and governing ideology. The adherence to ethical values shows his belief in “building the state with political virtue”; the praise of the heroic epic reveals the determination to “protect the state with military force”; the prospect of national poetics presents the vision of “strengthening the state with national culture”. Sidney reinterpreted the function of poetry and the responsibility of poets at the time of national crisis. Discussing politics in the name of poetry, Sidney expressed his efforts to create a political poetics aiming to serve the state, and demonstrated the beautiful political vision of building a “golden world” of heroic, solidary, independent, and united England. Throughout his life, Sidney turned the ideas of statecraft into an act of serving the country. After his early death in battle, he was hailed as the cultural icon and national hero of England.
},
year = {2024}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Ideas of Statecraft in Philip Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy AU - Zhu Wenjia Y1 - 2024/03/07 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12 DO - 10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12 T2 - Humanities and Social Sciences JF - Humanities and Social Sciences JO - Humanities and Social Sciences SP - 29 EP - 34 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-8184 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241202.12 AB - Philip Sidney was a famous courtier, soldier, poet and patron in Elizabethan England. As the best work of literary criticism in the English Renaissance, Sidney’s The Defense of Poesy not only contains rich poetic, philosophical and aesthetic values, but also permeates with comments and suggestions on current politics, implying advanced ideas of statecraft. Studying The Defense of Poesy in the context of social, political and cultural anxiety in England in the late 1570s and early 1580s, this article attempts to reveal Sidney’s creative motive and governing ideology. The adherence to ethical values shows his belief in “building the state with political virtue”; the praise of the heroic epic reveals the determination to “protect the state with military force”; the prospect of national poetics presents the vision of “strengthening the state with national culture”. Sidney reinterpreted the function of poetry and the responsibility of poets at the time of national crisis. Discussing politics in the name of poetry, Sidney expressed his efforts to create a political poetics aiming to serve the state, and demonstrated the beautiful political vision of building a “golden world” of heroic, solidary, independent, and united England. Throughout his life, Sidney turned the ideas of statecraft into an act of serving the country. After his early death in battle, he was hailed as the cultural icon and national hero of England. VL - 12 IS - 2 ER -
College of Foreign Languages, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
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