`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality

• Introduction 1 Mirrors of masculinity: Renaissance speculations through the feminine and their genealogy 2 A curious conjunction: discourses of love and political power in the French Renaissance 3 Three-personed queen: the courtly cult of Elizabeth I and its Subjects 4 Carnival at court: contests for authority in Elizabethan aristocratic pastimes 5 Chastity and the power of interior spaces: Lyly’s alternative view of Elizabethan courtiership 6 Rewriting chastity: representations of the unmarried queen by Chapman, Shakespeare, Ralegh, and Spenser

`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality

• Introduction 1 Mirrors of masculinity: Renaissance speculations through the feminine and their genealogy 2 A curious conjunction: discourses of love and political power in the French Renaissance 3 Three-personed queen: the courtly cult of Elizabeth I and its Subjects 4 Carnival at court: contests for authority in Elizabethan aristocratic pastimes 5 Chastity and the power of interior spaces: Lyly’s alternative view of Elizabethan courtiership 6 Rewriting chastity: representations of the unmarried queen by Chapman, Shakespeare, Ralegh, and Spenser

`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality`Philippa Berry possesses both a detailed knowledge of Elizabethan texts and a sophisticated grasp of feminist critical theory. In this incisive account she offers a new perspective on the materiality of sexual politics in the Renaissance.' - Catherine Belsey` ... this is a brilliant little book.' - English Historical Review`Her reinterpretation of Elizabethan politics and culture is intelligent, scholarly, and often compelling and will be of interest to historians and cultural critics alike' - Journal of the History of Sexuality

• Introduction 1 Mirrors of masculinity: Renaissance speculations through the feminine and their genealogy 2 A curious conjunction: discourses of love and political power in the French Renaissance 3 Three-personed queen: the courtly cult of Elizabeth I and its Subjects 4 Carnival at court: contests for authority in Elizabethan aristocratic pastimes 5 Chastity and the power of interior spaces: Lyly’s alternative view of Elizabethan courtiership 6 Rewriting chastity: representations of the unmarried queen by Chapman, Shakespeare, Ralegh, and Spenser