Review

A worthy contribution to the ongoing study of the mentality of the early modern period and its relationship to the classical and Christian heritage. -- Choice

[Scodel's] range of material and reference is admirable. He moves easily and with panache through five sections. . . . There is much to admire and learn from in Excess and the Mean in Early Modern English Literature. -- Andrew Hadfield, Times Literary Supplement

An excellent book, ambitious in scope and masterful in its management of scholarly resources and interpretive techniques. -- Jon A. Quitslund, Renaissance Quarterly

From the Inside Flap

"Scodel's subtlety and erudition make him a superb interpreter of Renaissance literature and culture. Across a remarkable range of texts, Excess and the Mean in Early Modern English Literature uncovers the intellectual and artistic passions that informed the quest for ethical norms in a period of acute political and ideological division."--David Norbrook, University of Maryland, College Park

"An absorbing, beautifully researched, and skillfully argued discussion of a topic that in Scodel's handling opens up some spacious and important perspectives on seventeenth century English life and culture. The discussion is extremely detailed and nuanced and respectful of the complexity of the evidence at hand."--Gordon Braden, University of Virginia