EDITORIAL
DR JAYNE ARCHER AND DR SARAH KNIGHT
This latest issue of the Journal both draws on the research interests of those
directly affiliated with the Centre, and includes work by those from further
afield whose work accords with the Centre’s scholarly aims. As in previous
issues, we present new research in the form of short articles, and book
reviews that discuss recent scholarship in fields related to the Centre’s
programme of research. The articles contributed by Evelyn Korsch (Zürich),
Tim Reinke-Williams (Warwick) and Ben Spiller (Sheffield Hallam) reflect
some of the variety of current Renaissance studies, ranging from Venetian
festival to early modern notions of female honour to contemporary staging
of Jacobean plays. The book reviews deal with such diverse topics as privacy
and domestic space, the collection of prints and drawings, pamphleteering,
and the relationship between literary texts, colonisation and empire. The
Journal also outlines the Centre’s own conference activity and provides
information on related conferences and symposia that may be of interest to
readers. Several successful conferences affiliated with the Centre have taken
place this year. In April the ‘1623’ conference was held in partnership with
University College London: its interdisciplinary nature is outlined in the
following report. In May, the Italian Élites project organized two
conferences at Warwick: ‘Ritual in Renaissance Siena: Comparative
Disciplinary Approaches,’ and ‘Italy and the European Powers: The Impact
of War, 1503-1530.’
Plans are underway to produce an online E-journal version, which would
make the Journal more widely accessible, and would increase opportunities
for scholarly exchange concerning its contents. We hope to base future
issues on particular themes, individuals and events: our next issue, for
instance, will focus on early modern popular culture. We would be grateful
for any comments on the current Journal, ideas for future issues, or
proposals for submissions, particularly from younger scholars. We welcome
suggestions from readers as we consider how both the form and the
contents of Renaissance Journal might be taken forward.