The Tudors are one of the best known royal families in English history. Over three generations, they constructed and maintained their status and authority during a period of social, political and religious unrest. This book examines the textual basis of Tudor royal power. Through analyses of correspondence alongside genres including proclamations and historical chronicles, the book explores the visual and verbal practices that came to symbolise monarchic authority in the Tudor era. Mel Evans combines concepts from sociolinguistics and pragmatics with corpus linguistic methods to explore the characteristics of authentic English language Tudor texts, alongside materials reporting and appropriating royal language. The book reveals a pervasive sixteenth-century royal voice - one which is central to the articulation and perpetuation of Tudor monarchic power.

A linguistic examination of Tudor texts that demonstrates the importance of materiality and language in the construction of royal power.

About the Author
Mel Evans is a lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the University of Leicester. Previous publications include The Language of Elizabeth I: A Sociolinguistic Perspective on Royal Style and Identity (2013)

Reviews
'Evans (English and Linguistics, Univ. of Leicester, UK) studies the verbal and visual features of Tudor texts to track the ways in which monarchs' royal voices found expression and comprehension among their subjects.' L. C. Attreed, Choice
'Evans' meticulous material and linguistic analysis of Tudor royal documents and their non-royal imitations and counterparts successfully demonstrates the importance of a royal register of language in royal documents and texts to the construction and representation of royal authority.' Jessica G. Purdy, Royal Studies Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9781107131217
Author Mel Evans
Format Hardback
Page Count 278
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 500g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 157mm * 19mm