St. John's News

Writers of early modern literature frequently used their works of fiction to address the political issues of their times, according to Assistant Professor of English Brian C. Lockey, Ph.D. In his new book, “Law and Empire in English Renaissance Literature,” available now through Cambridge University Press, Professor Lockey specifically addresses how early English writers tried to bring the tradition of Roman law, which differed significantly from England’s existing common law tradition, to their English readers.

These writers—usually more educated than the general population---recognized and were sometimes fascinated by the tension between the two legal systems. English law in effect at that time did not address moral problems that arose when England first became an aggressor nation and took its first steps toward becoming an empire; Roman law, on the other hand, supported the concept of empire building.

While such writers viewed Roman law to be“superior” to English law, “they were not necessarily pro-Empire either,” Lockey explains, “but were struggling with various concepts of political morality.” Using narrative strategies, they attempted to educate both the common man and their rulers on the subject.  Along the way, they provided a legal groundwork for English imperialism. He examines works by Shakespeare, Spenser and Sir Philip Sidney, among others, to prove his point.

In the book’s Introduction, Lockey states that “it was actually writers of romance fiction who employed juridical standards in order to evaluate acts of foreign intervention or conquest. They intended their works of fiction to comment narratively on recent international events in which English national identity was pitted against the identities of European and non-European polities and nations.  In this respect, this book should be seen within the context of recent literary criticism on the intersections between Renaissance literature and various early modern discourses of conquest, expansionism, empire, and colonialism.”

The author believes this discussion still has relevance today. He’s interested in how nations justify their policies and attempt to present them as ethical. “It’s important to understand how through the years, nations have justified conquest and war as acts of charity,” in which other nations are “civilized, liberated or Christianized,” he states, pointing out that the first time England thought of itself as an “Empire” was in Ireland, where they thought they would “civilize” the native people. “That’s what happened in the Renaissance, and a version of that is where we are again today.”