Translation and Polyglossia in Early Modern English Literature: The Rhetoric of Teacherly Texts

Translation and Polyglossia in Early Modern English Literature: The Rhetoric of Teacherly Texts studies the role of Romance languages in shaping early modern English literature from about 1550 to about 1650, analyzing interconnected processes of translation and multilingualism that relied on a pedagogical rhetoric.The book uses polyglossia as both an analytical tool and critical framework, providing fresh insights into the reception of continental literature and foreign languages during this transformative period. It offers a comprehensive understanding of linguistic exchanges in early modern England by combining methodologies from book history, translation studies, linguistics, and lexicology with detailed literary close reading. Readers will discover how foreign words, phrases, and entire texts interacted with English across diverse genres—including satiric and narrative prose, religious controversy, verse, pedagogical manuals, and dictionaries—in Latin, French, Italian, and Spanish.This book is intended for postgraduate students and scholars specializing in early modern English literature and culture, particularly those interested in translation studies, multilingualism, Renaissance literary history, and cross-cultural literary exchanges.

About the Author

Laetitia Sansonetti is Professor in Translation Studies at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, France. Her research bears on the reception and translation of classical and continental texts in early modern England, language learning, lexicology and phonetics.