Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Abstract

I f I had been asked to write some thoughts on the state of early modern studies for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the journal I would surely have reflected on the theory wars and their impact on the study of Renaissance literature and culture. Indeed, choosing to refer to the period as “earlymodern” rather than “Renaissance”would have beenmaking some sort of statement. That time now seems very remote indeed, and I am probably less certain of my answer than at any time inmy academic career, which is probably not such a bad thing. Disputes between critics and scholars in a relatively stable academic context have been replaced by a much wider set of uncertainties so that any suggestions of where early modern studies might be heading need to be considered in a much wider context. The UK and North America in particular have seen an effective political attack on the value of the humanities at the tertiary education level, coupled with falling birth rates and an economic crisis. In departments and schools of English in the UK the number of students applying for English Literature degrees has been reduced through curriculum changes at the secondary school level, with more concentration on language at the expense of literature, as was recognized some years ago and which is now taking effect. Those students who do study for English degrees have read