Thiel College English professor reviews book that examines 16th Century friendship — Thiel College

Thiel College Professor of English Mary Theresa Hall, Ph.D., had her book review of “Male Friendship and Testimonies of Love in Shakespeare’s England” which was published in Sixteenth Century Journal: The Journal of Early Modern Studies.

 

 

Thiel College Professor of English Mary Theresa Hall, Ph.D.

Thiel College Professor of English Mary Theresa Hall, Ph.D.

 

GREENVILLE, Pa.Nov. 2, 2017PRLog — Thiel College Professor of English Mary Theresa Hall, Ph.D., had her book review of “Male Friendship and Testimonies of Love in Shakespeare’s England” by Will Tosh published in a leading journal on 16th-century literary issues.

The review appeared in the summer 2017 edition of Sixteenth Century Journal: The Journal of Early Modern Studies. Since its inception in 1969, the journal publishes about 25 articles and more than 400 book reviews each year.

According to Hall, Tosh’s book highlights the scholarship of amicitia studies by placing Elizabethan spy Anthony Bacon at the center of a set of relationships that blended classical notions of friendship with the social bonds and shared obligations of four other significant 16th-century historical figures. In a set of letters, Tosh exemplifies how “same-sex contact between men was part of the fabric of everyday life” during the Renaissance period and that “friendship spaces” were considered a normal part of early modern English culture.

A case-study approach incorporates the reader into the intricacies of amicitia perfecta and its crucial role in the personal and professional lives of late 16th-century men. The book grounds the Renaissance notion of friendship in Cicero’s dialogue-essay tradition De Amicitia and in Shakespeare’s early sonnets that validate the significance of personal and professional friendship spaces, Hall said.

Hall has taught at Thiel (https://www.thiel.edu/) since 1999. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and secondary certification in English and French from Seton wfv Hill University; a master’s in literature from Carnegie Mellon University; and a doctorate from Duquesne University.

About Thiel College

Thiel College (https://www.thiel.edu/) is a private liberal arts institution founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 25 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio to more than 900 students. A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016 and remains committed to combining tradition with innovation.

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