Uncover the literary history of Penshurst Place, the 16th-century home of the Sidney family of writers and poets. Learn how Lady Mary Wroth and the Sidney family shaped the English Renaissance. In the 16th century, Penshurst Place was the home to the Sidney family, renowned for their literary works in the age of Shakespeare. The family, including Lady Mary Wroth and her uncle Sir Philip Sidney, wrote poetry and prose that still appeal to audiences today.

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On this course, you will be introduced to Penshurst Place, the Sidney family, and their famous works. You will learn how Lady Mary Wroth and Mary Sidney paved the way for female authors in Elizabethan England. You will also review Wroth’s drama ‘Love’s Victory’, which was reenacted and filmed at Penshurst Place in September 2018.

Syllabus

Week 1: The Sidney Family and Penshurst Place

Week 2: The Sidneys and Love

Week 3: The Sidneys and Women’s Household Theatre

Week 4: The Sidneys and Religion

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Explore how aristocratic family networks fostered writing by both men and women in the age of Shakespeare

- Evaluate examples of writings by the Sidney family and their importance as an influence on English literary history

- Investigate a different type of theatre from Shakespeare's age

- Explore how individual writers responded to questions of faith and belief in a time of turbulent religious change

- Investigate how writing shapes the natural environment and the emotions of others both within a family network and beyond.