Bokovets A. The English lyrics of the end of the XV - the first half of the XVI century: evolution and genre specifics

The thesis is devoted to the research of the specifics of the development of the early Tudor poetry. The character of the interaction of the traditions and the innovations in the creative works of the most outstanding lyrists of the early English Renaissance (J.Skelton, T.Wyatt, H.Howard) is defined. The innovations of J.Skelton who in his poetry more than his contemporaries relied on the national traditions were in the development of the new style of writing - the so called skeltonics - and in the introducing into the English language of a wide range of neologisms. T.Wyatt and H.Howard - the most distinguished poets-courtiers of that time - introduced syllabo-tonics into the national lyrics as well as put there in new genres (sonnet, rondeaux, virelay, lyrical epistles) and metres (terza rima, blank verse). The main forms of existence and fiction representation of the lyric poetical texts in the early Tudor England are ascertained: manuscripts, miscellanies, broadsides. The integral vision of the artistic searches and creative results of the English poets of the 1480-1560s is being structured. The poets are divided into four groups according to the topical and compositional peculiarities of their lyrics. The specifics of the functioning of the ancient, medieval and continental Renaissance genre traditions in the English poetry of the end of the XV - the first half of the XVI century is outlined. It is in the narrow interrelation of the national and continental traditions. The peculiarities of the genesis and development of the English sonnet are examined in detail. The main tendencies of its development are in the unclear boundaries between it and the genres of the song and the epigram. As to its topical range it consists of the amorous, social-satiric and spiritual-religious problematics.