Nicholas Breton and the English Self

One of the most prolific writers of his time (1545-1626), English poet and novelist Nicholas Breton left behind a vast collection of work, including religious texts (not considered in his volume). Loder examines Breton’s cultural and political works against others’ works of his own period as well as the preceding one--Mirandola, Machiavelli, and More; Montaigne, Bacon, Descartes, and Hobbes. She aims to develop thoroughly Breton’s understanding of man’s self with the goal of finding the individual and his power in Breton’s writing. She focuses on his reaction to the English Self in the early modern period from political, social, and cultural viewpoints. In eight chapters, she places Breton in the early modern context that portrayed man as having unlimited possibilities, but no real identity; deals with Breton’s take on human nature; examines his view of man’s rational thought, will, and intellect; establishes the English Self, with an analysis of Breton’s view on identity, the self, and nationality; explores Breton’s study of the consequences of individuality, and his view of man’s destructive capabilities. In conclusion, Loder argues that the individual in late sixteenth and early seventeenth century thinking was present, yet perceived as a threat, and that Breton constructed an Englishman that was patriotic, transparent, and uniform with a pseudo-individuality within an homogeneous community. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)