Explore the World of Food in the Renaissance

Experience the Life of the Renaissance Youth with an Interactive Guide

Live a day in the Life of a Renaissance Laborer

Learn about the Role of Women in the Renaissance

Bibliography

During the English Renaissance, the distinction between country and city was becoming more and more apparent.   London as a city was growing and the term “city” by 1526 had taken its modern meaning 30. “Country” had already acquired its modern meaning by this time and was being pitted against the city.   In this site we explore the popular culture in the Renaissance that allowed the country to be contrasted with the city and vice versa.

Using the important genres of “the domestic tragedy” and “the citizen’s comedy,” we analyze key aspects of the “popular” citizen’s domestic and laboring space. The four facets we focus upon include: women’s roles, youth involvement, food as it was an occasion for social gathering, and the laborers that provided early modern England with its needs. The key works used to support our analysis include Thomas Dekker’s A Shoemaker’s Holiday, Thomas Middleton’s Chaste Maid in Cheapside, the anonymously written Master Arden of Faversham, Thomas Deloney’s Jack of Newbury, and Robert Herrick’s The Hock Cart.  

We hope that you find the interactive style of this site entertaining and informative. Enjoy your journey through the various aspects of life in the households of the country and city in early modern England.