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Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern
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Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England Paperback - 2012

by David Cressy

From the publisher

Dangerous Talk examines the "lewd, ungracious, detestable, opprobrious, and rebellious-sounding" speech of ordinary men and women who spoke scornfully of kings and queens. Eavesdropping on lost conversations, it reveals the expressions that got people into trouble, and follows the fate of some of the offenders. Introducing stories and characters previously unknown to history, David Cressy explores the contested zones where private words had public consequence. Though "words were but wind," as the proverb had it, malicious tongues caused social damage, seditious words challenged political authority, and treasonous speech imperiled the crown.

Royal regimes from the house of Plantagenet to the house of Hanover coped variously with "crimes of the tongue" and found ways to monitor talk they deemed dangerous. Their response involved policing and surveillance, judicial intervention, political propaganda, and the crafting of new law. In early Tudor times to speak ill of the monarch could risk execution. By the end of the Stuart era similar words could be dismissed with a shrug. This book traces the development of free speech across five centuries of popular political culture, and shows how scandalous, seditious and treasonable talk finally gained protection as "the birthright of an Englishman." The lively and accessible work of a prize-winning social historian, it offers fresh insight into pre-modern society, the politics of language, and the social impact of the law.

Details

  • Title Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England
  • Author David Cressy
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 392
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Oxford University Press, USA
  • Date 2012-02-20
  • Features Bibliography
  • ISBN 9780199606092 / 0199606099
  • Weight 1.36 lbs (0.62 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 in (23.11 x 15.49 x 2.29 cm)
  • Themes
    • Cultural Region: British
  • Dewey Decimal Code 364.131

About the author

Born in England and educated at Cambridge, David Cressy has made his career in the United States, where he is currently Humanities Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio State University. A social and cultural historian of early modern England, concerned with the intersections of elite and popular culture, central and local government, and official and unofficial religion, he is the author of nine books including Birth, Marriage and Death (1997), Agnes Bowker's Cat (2001), and England on Edge (2006). A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Guggenheim Fellow, and recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Huntington Library, David Cressy has been a visiting fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge, and at Magdalen, St. Catherine's and All Souls Colleges, Oxford.

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Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England

by David Cressy

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780199606092 / 0199606099
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New. New Book; Fast Shipping from UK; Not signed; Not First Edition; Traces free speech across five centuries of popular political culture, and shows how scandalous, seditious and treasonable talk finally gained protection as 'the birthright of an Englishman'.
Item Price
NZ$74.68
NZ$16.83 shipping to USA
Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England

Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England

by David Cressy

  • New
  • Paperback
Condition
New
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780199606092 / 0199606099
Quantity Available
10
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Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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Paperback / softback. New. Traces free speech across five centuries of popular political culture, and shows how scandalous, seditious and treasonable talk finally gained protection as 'the birthright of an Englishman'.
Item Price
NZ$91.80
NZ$20.95 shipping to USA
Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Dangerous Talk: Scandalous, Seditious, and Treasonable Speech in Pre-Modern England

by Cressy, David

  • Used
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  • Paperback
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Used - Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780199606092 / 0199606099
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Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
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NZ$144.77
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Description:
paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items. May be an ex-library book.
Item Price
NZ$144.77
FREE shipping to USA