Skip to Main Content

English Literature: Renaissance & Reformation

This is a research guide for resources in English Literature.

   The Renaissance & Reformation Periods lasted from the late 15th century, 16th century, and early 17th century in Britain, but somewhat earlier in
    Italy and southern Europe, while somewhat later in northern Europe. This era consists of the 
following literary movements:

  • the Early Tudor Period (1485 - 1558 CE),
  • the Elizabethan Period (1558 - 1603 CE),
  • the Jacobean Period (1603 - 1625 CE),
  • the Caroline Age (1625 - 1649), and 
  • the Commonwealth/Puritan Interregunum Period (1649 - 1660 CE).

Books

When searching MICAL or an online database, the following Subject Headings can be used for conducting a "Subject" search. You can also follow the links below for a subject search in the catalog:

European literature Renaissance, 1450-1600

English language -- Early modern, 1500-1700

English literature -- Early modern, 1500-1700

Reformation in literature

Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Criticism and interpretation

Keyword search for "Elizabethan Literature"

Keyword search for "Jacobean Literature"

Below are links to relevant books in the catalog.

Selected eBooks

The following eBooks are part of the new eBook Academic Collection, which provides full-text access of over 180,000 eBooks! Learn more about how to download an eBook to read on your computer or on your Apple, Android, and Kindle devices here.

Shakespeare on Video

Want to see Shakespeare in action? Through one of our video databases, you can watch 37 Shakespeare plays that were televised by the BBC, including The Taming of the Shrew located below.