Monstrous Adversary: The Life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Front Cover
Liverpool University Press, Jan 1, 2003 - Literary Criticism - 527 pages
The Elizabethan Court poet Edward de Vere has, since 1920, lived a notorious second, wholly illegitimate life as the putative author of the poems and plays of William Shakespeare. The work reconstructs Oxford’s life, assesses his poetic works, and demonstrates the absurdity of attributing Shakespeare’s works to him. The first documentary biography of Oxford in over seventy years, Monstrous Adversary seeks to measure the real Oxford against the myth. Impeccably researched and presenting many documents written by Oxford himself, Nelson’s book provides a unique insight into Elizabethan society and manners through the eyes of a man whose life was privately scandalous and richly documented.
 

Contents

VI
7
VII
9
VIII
14
IX
19
X
23
XI
29
XII
34
XIII
41
LI
249
LII
258
LIII
261
LIV
266
LV
273
LVI
276
LVII
280
LVIII
287

XIV
47
XV
49
XVI
54
XVII
58
XVIII
62
XIX
68
XX
77
XXI
79
XXII
89
XXIII
92
XXIV
99
XXV
105
XXVI
108
XXVII
117
XXVIII
121
XXIX
132
XXX
137
XXXI
141
XXXII
155
XXXIII
157
XXXIV
164
XXXV
174
XXXVI
178
XXXVII
182
XXXVIII
186
XXXIX
189
XL
191
XLI
195
XLII
200
XLIII
203
XLIV
209
XLV
213
XLVI
218
XLVII
225
XLVIII
229
XLIX
236
L
239
LIX
289
LX
292
LXI
295
LXII
300
LXIII
303
LXIV
308
LXV
311
LXVI
319
LXVII
322
LXVIII
328
LXIX
336
LXX
339
LXXI
343
LXXII
345
LXXIII
349
LXXIV
355
LXXV
358
LXXVI
361
LXXVII
370
LXXVIII
374
LXXIX
380
LXXX
384
LXXXI
391
LXXXII
394
LXXXIII
396
LXXXIV
404
LXXXV
409
LXXXVI
418
LXXXVII
424
LXXXVIII
427
LXXXIX
431
XC
443
XCI
487
XCIII
492
XCIV
505
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Page 3 - This earle of Oxford, making of his low obeisance to queen Elizabeth, happened to let a Fart at which he was so abashed that he went to travell seven yeares. At his returne the queen welcomed him home and sayd, 'My lord, I had forgot the Fart.

About the author (2003)

Alan H. Nelson is Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at the University of California, Berkeley.

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