The Golden and the Brazen World

The Golden and the Brazen World: Papers in Literature and History, 1650–1800 examines the evolving relationship between literature and history, inspired by Sir Philip Sidney's Defence of Poetry. Sidney's distinction between poetry's "golden world," which idealizes and conveys moral truths, and history's "brazen world," focused on detailed but often confusing facts, frames the central theme. By the 18th century, this rivalry had softened into a collaborative exchange, with poets drawing on histor