| The dissertation provides the first thorough analysis of Troy's central role in the development of historical thought and national self-definition in Renaissance England. Through readings of Geoffrey of Monmouth, various chroniclers, Spenser, and Shakespeare I demonstrate how representations of Troy and of the Trojan origin of the British, though designed to celebrate the English nation, problematize the politics of historiography for reader and writer alike. The debate about Trojan origin leads to advances in historical method which undermine Renaissance theories of history. The severing of the link between past and present makes it more difficult for the reader of history to find relevance in the Trojan past. Ultimately, the story of Troy becomes unreadable precisely because readers have attempted to translate it into their own histories. |
